Nucleotide sequences and corresponding polypeptides conferring improved nitrogen use efficiency characteristics in plants

ABSTRACT

Methods and materials for modulating low-nitrogen tolerance levels in plants are disclosed. For example, nucleic acids encoding low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides are disclosed as well as methods for using such nucleic acids to transform plant cells. Also disclosed are plants having increased low-nitrogen tolerance levels and plant products produced from plants having increased low-nitrogen tolerance levels.

This application is a Divisional Application of the U.S. application Ser. No. 12/918,609, filed on Nov. 22, 2010, which is a National Phase under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/US2009/034638 which has an International filing date of Feb. 20, 2009, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/030,152 filed on Feb. 20, 2008. The entire contents of all applications listed above are hereby incorporated by reference.

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF SEQUENCE LISTING OR TABLE

The material in the accompanying sequence listing is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into this application. The accompanying file, named 2009_02_12 SequenceListing_2750_1699WO1.txt was created on Feb. 12, 2009 and is 6.27 MB. The file can be accessed using Microsoft Word on a computer that uses Windows OS.

TECHNICAL FIELD

the present invention relates to methods and materials involved in tolerance of a plant to limiting exogenous nitrogen sources. For example, this document provides plants having increased low-nitrogen tolerance levels as well as materials and methods for making plants and plant products having increased low-nitrogen tolerance levels.

BACKGROUND

Nitrogen is often the rate-limiting element in plant growth, and all field crops have a fundamental dependence on exogenous nitrogen sources.

According to a recent study published in Field Crops Research (Volume 100, Issues 2-3, 1 Feb. 2007, Pages 210-217), Nitrogenous fertilizer, which is usually supplied as ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, or urea, typically accounts for 40% of the costs associated with crops, such as corn and wheat in intensive agriculture.

Improving nitrogen use efficiency of crop plants is an important goal towards reducing input costs and reducing the environmental consequences of intensive nitrogen fertilization on the environment. Increased efficiency of nitrogen use by plants should enable the production of higher yields with existing fertilizer inputs and/or enable existing yields of crops to be obtained with lower fertilizer input, or better yields on soils of poorer quality. Also, higher amounts of proteins in the crops could also be produced more cost-effectively.

Plants have a number of means to cope with nutrient deficiencies, such as poor nitrogen availability. One important mechanism senses nitrogen availability in the soil and respond accordingly by modulating gene expression while a second mechanism is to sequester or store nitrogen in times of abundance to be used later. The nitrogen sensing mechanism relies on regulated gene expression and enables rapid physiological and metabolic responses to changes in the supply of inorganic nitrogen in the soil by adjusting nitrogen uptake, reduction, partitioning, remobilization and transport in response to changing environmental conditions. Nitrate acts as a signal to initiate a number of responses that serve to reprogram plant metabolism, physiology and development (Redinbaugh et al. (1991) Physiol. Plant. 82, 640-650; Forde (2002) Annual Review of Plant Biology 53, 203-224). Nitrogen-inducible gene expression has been characterized for a number of genes in some detail. These include nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, 6-phosphoglucante dehydrogenase, and nitrate and ammonium transporters (Redinbaugh et al. (1991) Physiol. Plant. 82, 640-650; Huber et al. (1994) Plant Physiol 106, 1667-1674; Hwang et al. (1997) Plant Physiol. 113, 853-862; Redinbaugh et al. (1998) Plant Science 134, 129-140; Gazzarrini et al. (1999) Plant Cell 11, 937-948; Glass et al. (2002) J. Exp. Bot. 53, 855-864; Okamoto et al. (2003) Plant Cell Physiol. 44, 304-317).

In the fields of agriculture and forestry, efforts are constantly being made to produce plants with an increased growth potential in order to feed the ever-increasing world population and to guarantee the supply of reproducible raw materials. There is a need for methods of increasing nitrogen use efficiency in plants, which leads to better growth potential and more biomass. This is done conventionally through plant breeding. The breeding process is, however, both time-consuming and labor-intensive. Furthermore, appropriate breeding programs must be performed for each relevant plant species. In addition, although great progresses that have been made about nitrogen utilization and the components involved in nitrogen use efficiency, such as nitrogen uptake, nitrogen assimilation and nitrogen partitioning or remobilization, much is still unknown about many of these complex interactions. Therefore, there is a continuing need for generally applicable processes that improve forest or agricultural plant growth to suit particular needs depending on specific environmental conditions. For example, genes that confer tolerance to growth on low nitrogen supply are valuable product prototypes for manipulating nitrogen use efficiency in plants (Good et al., 2004). One strategy to achieve such desirable traits involves genetic manipulation of plant characteristics through the introduction of exogenous nucleic acids conferring increased efficiency of nitrogen use by plants, which in turn should enable the production of higher yields with existing fertilizer inputs and/or enable existing yields of crops to be obtained with lower fertilizer input, or better yields on soils of poorer quality. Such approaches have the advantage of not usually being limited to one plant species, but instead being transferable among plant species. The present invention relates to a method for increasing growth potential, and/or increasing levels of nitrogen use efficiency in plants, characterized by expression of recombinant DNA molecules stably integrated into the plant genome

SUMMARY

The present invention provides methods and materials related to plants having modulated levels of low-nitrogen tolerance. For example, the present invention provides transgenic plants and plant cells having increased levels of low-nitrogen tolerance, nucleic acids (i.e. isolated polynucleotides), polypeptides encoded thereby used to generate transgenic plants and plant cells having increased levels of low-nitrogen tolerance, and methods for making plants and plant cells having increased levels of low-nitrogen tolerance. Such plants and plant cells can be grown under limiting exogenous nitrogen without stunted growth and diminished yields. Plants having increased low-nitrogen tolerance levels may be useful to produce biomass which may be converted to a liquid fuel or other chemicals and/or to produce food and feed on land that is currently marginally productive, resulting in an overall expansion of arable land.

Methods of producing a plant tissue are provided herein. In one aspect, a method comprises growing a plant cell comprising an exogenous nucleic acid. The exogenous nucleic acid comprises a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide. The Hidden Markov Model (HMM) bit score of the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide is greater than about 20, using an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences depicted in one of FIGS. 1-57. The tissue has a difference in the level of low-nitrogen tolerance as compared to the corresponding level in tissue of a control plant that does not comprise the exogenous nucleic acid.

In another aspect, a method comprises growing a plant cell comprising an exogenous nucleic acid. The exogenous nucleic acid comprises a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having 80 percent or greater sequence identity to an amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:152, SEQ ID NO:166, SEQ ID NO:186, SEQ ID NO:208, SEQ ID NO:218, SEQ ID NO:234, SEQ ID NO:246, SEQ ID NO:300, SEQ ID NO:332, SEQ ID NO:368, SEQ ID NO:510, SEQ ID NO:533, SEQ ID NO:556, SEQ ID NO:558, SEQ ID NO:593, SEQ ID NO:613, SEQ ID NO:646, SEQ ID NO:687, SEQ ID NO:730, SEQ ID NO:746, SEQ ID NO:769, SEQ ID NO:792, SEQ ID NO:824, SEQ ID NO:828, SEQ ID NO:853, SEQ ID NO:855, SEQ ID NO:891, SEQ ID NO:917, SEQ ID NO:944, SEQ ID NO:976, SEQ ID NO:982, SEQ ID NO:1054, SEQ ID NO:1099, SEQ ID NO:1112, SEQ ID NO:1116, SEQ ID NO:1157, SEQ ID NO:1159, SEQ ID NO:1166, SEQ ID NO:1185, SEQ ID NO:1194, SEQ ID NO:1210, SEQ ID NO:1274, SEQ ID NO:1302, SEQ ID NO:1342, SEQ ID NO:1385, SEQ ID NO:1409, SEQ ID NO:1428, SEQ ID NO:1437, SEQ ID NO:1463, SEQ ID NO:1491, SEQ ID NO:1510, SEQ ID NO:1525, SEQ ID NO:1537, SEQ ID NO:1554, or SEQ ID NO:1577. A plant and/or plant tissues produced from the plant cell has a difference in the level of low-nitrogen tolerance as compared to the corresponding level of low-nitrogen tolerance of a control plant that does not comprise the exogenous nucleic acid.

In another aspect, a method comprises growing a plant cell comprising an exogenous nucleic acid. The exogenous nucleic acid comprises a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence having 80 percent or greater sequence identity to a nucleotide sequence, or a fragment thereof, set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:151, SEQ ID NO:165, SEQ ID NO:175, SEQ ID NO:185, SEQ ID NO:207, SEQ ID NO:217, SEQ ID NO:233, SEQ ID NO:245, SEQ ID NO:299, SEQ ID NO:331, SEQ ID NO:367, SEQ ID NO:509, SEQ ID NO:532, SEQ ID NO:555, SEQ ID NO:557, SEQ ID NO:592, SEQ ID NO:612, SEQ ID NO:645, SEQ ID NO:686, SEQ ID NO:729, SEQ ID NO:745, SEQ ID NO:768, SEQ ID NO:791, SEQ ID NO:823, SEQ ID NO:827, SEQ ID NO:852, SEQ ID NO:854, SEQ ID NO:890, SEQ ID NO:916, SEQ ID NO:943, SEQ ID NO:975, SEQ ID NO:981, SEQ ID NO:1053, SEQ ID NO:1098, SEQ ID NO:1111, SEQ ID NO:1115, SEQ ID NO:1156, SEQ ID NO:1158, SEQ ID NO:1165, SEQ ID NO:1184, SEQ ID NO:1193, SEQ ID NO:1209, SEQ ID NO:1273, SEQ ID NO:1301, SEQ ID NO:1341, SEQ ID NO:1384, SEQ ID NO:1408, SEQ ID NO:1427, SEQ ID NO:1462, SEQ ID NO:1490, SEQ ID NO:1509, SEQ ID NO:1524, SEQ ID NO:1536, SEQ ID NO:1553, or SEQ ID NO:1576. A plant and/or plant tissues produced from the plant cell has a difference in the level of low-nitrogen tolerance as compared to the corresponding level low-nitrogen tolerance of a control plant that does not comprise the exogenous nucleic acid.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of producing a plant, the method comprising growing a plant cell comprising an exogenous nucleic acid that is effective for downregulating an endogenous nucleic acid in the plant cell, wherein the endogenous nucleic acid encodes a polypeptide, and wherein the HMM bit score of the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide is greater than about 20, said HMM based on the amino acid sequences depicted in one of FIGS. 1-57

Methods of modulating the level of low-nitrogen tolerance in a plant are provided herein. In one aspect, a method comprises introducing into a plant cell an exogenous nucleic acid, that comprises a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide. The HMM bit score of the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide is greater than about 20, using an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences depicted in one of FIGS. 1-57. A plant and/or plant tissue produced from the plant cell has a difference in the level of low-nitrogen tolerance as compared to the corresponding level of low-nitrogen tolerance of a control plant that does not comprise the exogenous nucleic acid.

In certain embodiments, the HMM bit score of the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide is greater than about 40, using an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences depicted in one of FIGS. 1-57, wherein the polypeptide comprises a Pfam domain having 70 percent or greater sequence identity to a Pfam domain of any one of the polypeptides in the sequence listing.

In another aspect, a method comprises modulating the level of low-nitrogen tolerance in a plant by introducing into a plant cell an exogenous nucleic acid that comprises a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having 80 percent or greater sequence identity to an amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:152, SEQ ID NO:166, SEQ ID NO:186, SEQ ID NO:208, SEQ ID NO:218, SEQ ID NO:234, SEQ ID NO:246, SEQ ID NO:300, SEQ ID NO:332, SEQ ID NO:368, SEQ ID NO:510, SEQ ID NO:533, SEQ ID NO:556, SEQ ID NO:558, SEQ ID NO:593, SEQ ID NO:613, SEQ ID NO:646, SEQ ID NO:687, SEQ ID NO:730, SEQ ID NO:746, SEQ ID NO:769, SEQ ID NO:792, SEQ ID NO:824, SEQ ID NO:828, SEQ ID NO:853, SEQ ID NO:855, SEQ ID NO:891, SEQ ID NO:917, SEQ ID NO:944, SEQ ID NO:976, SEQ ID NO:982, SEQ ID NO:1054, SEQ ID NO:1099, SEQ ID NO:1112, SEQ ID NO:1116, SEQ ID NO:1157, SEQ ID NO:1159, SEQ ID NO:1166, SEQ ID NO:1185, SEQ ID NO:1194, SEQ ID NO:1210, SEQ ID NO:1274, SEQ ID NO:1302, SEQ ID NO:1342, SEQ ID NO:1385, SEQ ID NO:1409, SEQ ID NO:1428, SEQ ID NO:1437, SEQ ID NO:1463, SEQ ID NO:1491, SEQ ID NO:1510, SEQ ID NO:1525, SEQ ID NO:1537, SEQ ID NO:1554, or SEQ ID NO:1577, or a fragment thereof. A plant and/or plant tissue produced from the plant cell has a difference in the level of low-nitrogen tolerance as compared to the corresponding level of low-nitrogen tolerance of a control plant that does not comprise the exogenous nucleic acid.

In another aspect, a method comprises modulating the level of low-nitrogen tolerance in a plant by introducing into a plant cell an exogenous nucleic acid, that comprises a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence having 80 percent or greater sequence identity to a nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:151, SEQ ID NO:165, SEQ ID NO:175, SEQ ID NO:185, SEQ ID NO:207, SEQ ID NO:217, SEQ ID NO:233, SEQ ID NO:245, SEQ ID NO:299, SEQ ID NO:331, SEQ ID NO:367, SEQ ID NO:509, SEQ ID NO:532, SEQ ID NO:555, SEQ ID NO:557, SEQ ID NO:592, SEQ ID NO:612, SEQ ID NO:645, SEQ ID NO:686, SEQ ID NO:729, SEQ ID NO:745, SEQ ID NO:768, SEQ ID NO:791, SEQ ID NO:823, SEQ ID NO:827, SEQ ID NO:852, SEQ ID NO:854, SEQ ID NO:890, SEQ ID NO:916, SEQ ID NO:943, SEQ ID NO:975, SEQ ID NO:981, SEQ ID NO:1053, SEQ ID NO:1098, SEQ ID NO:1111, SEQ ID NO:1115, SEQ ID NO:1156, SEQ ID NO:1158, SEQ ID NO:1165, SEQ ID NO:1184, SEQ ID NO:1193, SEQ ID NO:1209, SEQ ID NO:1273, SEQ ID NO:1301, SEQ ID NO:1341, SEQ ID NO:1384, SEQ ID NO:1408, SEQ ID NO:1427, SEQ ID NO:1462, SEQ ID NO:1490, SEQ ID NO:1509, SEQ ID NO:1524, SEQ ID NO:1536, SEQ ID NO:1553, or SEQ ID NO:1576, or a fragment thereof. A plant and/or plant tissue produced from the plant cell has a difference in the level of low-nitrogen tolerance as compared to the corresponding level of low-nitrogen tolerance of a control plant that does not comprise the exogenous nucleic acid.

Plant cells comprising an exogenous nucleic acid are provided herein. In one aspect, the exogenous nucleic acid comprises a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide. The HMM bit score of the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide is greater than about 20, using an HMM based on the amino acid sequences depicted in one of FIGS. 1-57. The plant has a difference in the level of low-nitrogen tolerance as compared to the corresponding level of low-nitrogen tolerance of a control plant that does not comprise the exogenous nucleic acid. In another aspect, the exogenous nucleic acid comprises a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having 80 percent or greater sequence identity to an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:152, SEQ ID NO:166, SEQ ID NO:186, SEQ ID NO:208, SEQ ID NO:218, SEQ ID NO:234, SEQ ID NO:246, SEQ ID NO:300, SEQ ID NO:332, SEQ ID NO:368, SEQ ID NO:510, SEQ ID NO:533, SEQ ID NO:556, SEQ ID NO:558, SEQ ID NO:593, SEQ ID NO:613, SEQ ID NO:646, SEQ ID NO:687, SEQ ID NO:730, SEQ ID NO:746, SEQ ID NO:769, SEQ ID NO:792, SEQ ID NO:824, SEQ ID NO:828, SEQ ID NO:853, SEQ ID NO:855, SEQ ID NO:891, SEQ ID NO:917, SEQ ID NO:944, SEQ ID NO:976, SEQ ID NO:982, SEQ ID NO:1054, SEQ ID NO:1099, SEQ ID NO:1112, SEQ ID NO:1116, SEQ ID NO:1157, SEQ ID NO:1159, SEQ ID NO:1166, SEQ ID NO:1185, SEQ ID NO:1194, SEQ ID NO:1210, SEQ ID NO:1274, SEQ ID NO:1302, SEQ ID NO:1342, SEQ ID NO:1385, SEQ ID NO:1409, SEQ ID NO:1428, SEQ ID NO:1437, SEQ ID NO:1463, SEQ ID NO:1491, SEQ ID NO:1510, SEQ ID NO:1525, SEQ ID NO:1537, SEQ ID NO:1554, and SEQ ID NO:1577. A plant and/or plant tissue produced from the plant cell has a difference in the level of low-nitrogen tolerance as compared to the corresponding level of low-nitrogen tolerance of a control plant that does not comprise the exogenous nucleic acid. In another aspect, the exogenous nucleic acid comprises a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence having 80 percent or greater sequence identity to a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:151, SEQ ID NO:165, SEQ ID NO:175, SEQ ID NO:185, SEQ ID NO:207, SEQ ID NO:217, SEQ ID NO:233, SEQ ID NO:245, SEQ ID NO:299, SEQ ID NO:331, SEQ ID NO:367, SEQ ID NO:509, SEQ ID NO:532, SEQ ID NO:555, SEQ ID NO:557, SEQ ID NO:592, SEQ ID NO:612, SEQ ID NO:645, SEQ ID NO:686, SEQ ID NO:729, SEQ ID NO:745, SEQ ID NO:768, SEQ ID NO:791, SEQ ID NO:823, SEQ ID NO:827, SEQ ID NO:852, SEQ ID NO:854, SEQ ID NO:890, SEQ ID NO:916, SEQ ID NO:943, SEQ ID NO:975, SEQ ID NO:981, SEQ ID NO:1053, SEQ ID NO:1098, SEQ ID NO:1111, SEQ ID NO:1115, SEQ ID NO:1156, SEQ ID NO:1158, SEQ ID NO:1165, SEQ ID NO:1184, SEQ ID NO:1193, SEQ ID NO:1209, SEQ ID NO:1273, SEQ ID NO:1301, SEQ ID NO:1341, SEQ ID NO:1384, SEQ ID NO:1408, SEQ ID NO:1427, SEQ ID NO:1462, SEQ ID NO:1490, SEQ ID NO:1509, SEQ ID NO:1524, SEQ ID NO:1536, SEQ ID NO:1553, and SEQ ID NO:1576, or a fragment thereof. A plant and/or plant tissue of a plant produced from the plant cell has a difference in the level of low-nitrogen tolerance as compared to the corresponding level of low-nitrogen tolerance of a control plant that does not comprise the exogenous nucleic acid. A transgenic plant comprising such a plant cell is also provided.

Isolated nucleic acids are also provided. In one aspect, an isolated nucleic acid comprises a nucleotide sequence having 80% or greater sequence identity to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:151, SEQ ID NO:165, SEQ ID NO:175, SEQ ID NO:185, SEQ ID NO:207, SEQ ID NO:217, SEQ ID NO:233, SEQ ID NO:245, SEQ ID NO:299, SEQ ID NO:331, SEQ ID NO:367, SEQ ID NO:509, SEQ ID NO:532, SEQ ID NO:555, SEQ ID NO:557, SEQ ID NO:592, SEQ ID NO:612, SEQ ID NO:645, SEQ ID NO:686, SEQ ID NO:729, SEQ ID NO:745, SEQ ID NO:768, SEQ ID NO:791, SEQ ID NO:823, SEQ ID NO:827, SEQ ID NO:852, SEQ ID NO:854, SEQ ID NO:890, SEQ ID NO:916, SEQ ID NO:943, SEQ ID NO:975, SEQ ID NO:981, SEQ ID NO:1053, SEQ ID NO:1098, SEQ ID NO:1111, SEQ ID NO:1115, SEQ ID NO:1156, SEQ ID NO:1158, SEQ ID NO:1165, SEQ ID NO:1184, SEQ ID NO:1193, SEQ ID NO:1209, SEQ ID NO:1273, SEQ ID NO:1301, SEQ ID NO:1341, SEQ ID NO:1384, SEQ ID NO:1408, SEQ ID NO:1427, SEQ ID NO:1462, SEQ ID NO:1490, SEQ ID NO:1509, SEQ ID NO:1524, SEQ ID NO:1536, SEQ ID NO:1553, or SEQ ID NO:1576. In another aspect, an isolated nucleic acid comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having 80% or greater sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:152, SEQ ID NO:166, SEQ ID NO:186, SEQ ID NO:208, SEQ ID NO:218, SEQ ID NO:234, SEQ ID NO:246, SEQ ID NO:300, SEQ ID NO:332, SEQ ID NO:368, SEQ ID NO:510, SEQ ID NO:533, SEQ ID NO:556, SEQ ID NO:558, SEQ ID NO:593, SEQ ID NO:613, SEQ ID NO:646, SEQ ID NO:687, SEQ ID NO:730, SEQ ID NO:746, SEQ ID NO:769, SEQ ID NO:792, SEQ ID NO:824, SEQ ID NO:828, SEQ ID NO:853, SEQ ID NO:855, SEQ ID NO:891, SEQ ID NO:917, SEQ ID NO:944, SEQ ID NO:976, SEQ ID NO:982, SEQ ID NO:1054, SEQ ID NO:1099, SEQ ID NO:1112, SEQ ID NO:1116, SEQ ID NO:1157, SEQ ID NO:1159, SEQ ID NO:1166, SEQ ID NO:1185, SEQ ID NO:1194, SEQ ID NO:1210, SEQ ID NO:1274, SEQ ID NO:1302, SEQ ID NO:1342, SEQ ID NO:1385, SEQ ID NO:1409, SEQ ID NO:1428, SEQ ID NO:1437, SEQ ID NO:1463, SEQ ID NO:1491, SEQ ID NO:1510, SEQ ID NO:1525, SEQ ID NO:1537, SEQ ID NO:1554, or SEQ ID NO:1577.

In another aspect, methods of identifying a genetic polymorphism associated with variation in the level of low-nitrogen tolerance are provided. The methods include providing a population of plants, and determining whether one or more genetic polymorphisms in the population are genetically linked to the locus for a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of the polypeptides depicted in FIGS. 1-57, SEQ ID NO:556, SEQ ID NO:853, SEQ ID NO:1157, and functional homologs thereof, such as those in the Sequence Listing. The correlation between variation in the level of low-nitrogen tolerance in a tissue in plants of the population and the presence of the one or more genetic polymorphisms in plants of the population is measured, thereby permitting identification of whether or not the one or more genetic polymorphisms are associated with such variation.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of making a plant line, said method comprising:

a) determining whether one or more genetic polymorphisms in a population of plants is associated with the locus for a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of the polypeptides depicted in FIGS. 1-57, SEQ ID NO: 556, SEQ ID NO: 853, and SEQ ID NO: 1157 and functional homologs thereof;

b) identifying one or more plants in said population in which the presence of at least one allele at said one or more genetic polymorphisms is associated with variation in a trait;

c) crossing each said one or more identified plants with itself or a different plant to produce seed;

d) crossing at least one progeny plant grown from said seed with itself or a different plant; and

e) repeating steps c) and d) for an additional 0-5 generations to make said plant line, wherein said at least one allele is present in said plant line.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used to practice the invention, suitable methods and materials are described below. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an alignment of Ceres SEEDLINE No. ME00919 (SEQ ID NO:3) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 5921925 (SEQ ID NO:4), CeresClone:1929222 (SEQ ID NO:6), CeresAnnot:1471370 (SEQ ID NO:10), GI No. 84380741 (SEQ ID NO:21), GI No. 5921926 (SEQ ID NO:22), GI No. 84514161 (SEQ ID NO:25), CeresClone:779234 (SEQ ID NO:27), CeresClone:1600726 (SEQ ID NO:29), GI No. 78183420 (SEQ ID NO:36), CeresClone:1877346 (SEQ ID NO:38), GI No. 125562440 (SEQ ID NO:39), GI No. 115477665 (SEQ ID NO:40), GI No. 1173624 (SEQ ID NO:46), and GI No. 84468276 (SEQ ID NO:47). In all the alignment figures shown herein, a dash in an aligned sequence represents a gap, i.e., a lack of an amino acid at that position. Identical amino acids or conserved amino acid substitutions among aligned sequences are identified by boxes. FIG. 1 and the other alignment figures provided herein were generated using the program MUSCLE version 3.52.

FIG. 2 is an alignment of ME01312 (SEQ ID NO:49) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1869410 (SEQ ID NO:51), CeresAnnot:1540549 (SEQ ID NO:53), CeresClone:978708 (SEQ ID NO:58), CeresClone:1623097 (SEQ ID NO:60), GI No. 92873064 (SEQ ID NO:63), GI No. 37051131 (SEQ ID NO:64), GI No. 3341468 (SEQ ID NO:65), CeresClone:937560 (SEQ ID NO:67), CeresClone:456844 (SEQ ID NO:69), GI No. 125564100 (SEQ ID NO:70), GI No. 52077334 (SEQ ID NO:71), GI No. 113205234 (SEQ ID NO:73), and CeresAnnot:6100272 (SEQ ID NO:75).

FIG. 3 is an alignment of ME01463 (SEQ ID NO:77) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 2811029 (SEQ ID NO:78), CeresClone:1853284 (SEQ ID NO:80), CeresAnnot:1476446 (SEQ ID NO:82), CeresClone:527024 (SEQ ID NO:87), GI No. 27527063 (SEQ ID NO:88), CeresClone:913632 (SEQ ID NO:90), CeresClone:1386710 (SEQ ID NO:92), GI No. 115461885 (SEQ ID NO:93), and CeresAnnot:6054519 (SEQ ID NO:95)

FIG. 4 is an alignment of ME01910 (SEQ ID NO:100) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 585238 (SEQ ID NO:101), GI No. 90704789 (SEQ ID NO:102), CeresClone:1895729 (SEQ ID NO:104), CeresAnnot:1442808 (SEQ ID NO:108), CeresClone:1104700 (SEQ ID NO:113), GI No. 32966575 (SEQ ID NO:116), GI No. 4996567 (SEQ ID NO:117), GI No. 62286644 (SEQ ID NO:118), GI No. 2623960 (SEQ ID NO:119), GI No. 585241 (SEQ ID NO:120), GI No. 790929 (SEQ ID NO:122), CeresClone:579112 (SEQ ID NO:125), CeresClone:244199 (SEQ ID NO:137), CeresClone:1725848 (SEQ ID NO:144), GI No. 6474950 (SEQ ID NO:145), GI No. 125546057 (SEQ ID NO:146), GI No. 115455945 (SEQ ID NO:147), GI No. 2641211 (SEQ ID NO:149), and GI No. 30024108 (SEQ ID NO:150).

FIG. 5 is an alignment of ME02538 (SEQ ID NO:152) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1843642 (SEQ ID NO:154), CeresAnnot:1459112 (SEQ ID NO:158), CeresClone:953633 (SEQ ID NO:162), and CeresClone:587957 (SEQ ID NO:164).

FIG. 6 is an alignment of ME02603 (SEQ ID NO:166) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1857256 (SEQ ID NO:168), CeresAnnot:1442042 (SEQ ID NO:170), GI No. 89257469 (SEQ ID NO:174), CeresClone:389818 (SEQ ID NO:177), CeresClone:2019147 (SEQ ID NO:181), GI No. 125537720 (SEQ ID NO:182), GI No. 115443697 (SEQ ID NO:183), and GI No. 20340241 (SEQ ID NO:184).

FIG. 7 is an alignment of ME02613 (SEQ ID NO:186) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1490274 (SEQ ID NO:188), CeresClone:873093 (SEQ ID NO:193), GI No. 6635384 (SEQ ID NO:194), CeresClone:663726 (SEQ ID NO:196), GI No. 92881411 (SEQ ID NO:197), CeresClone:686525 (SEQ ID NO:199), CeresClone:1524364 (SEQ ID NO:201), CeresClone:1742159 (SEQ ID NO:203), and GI No. 125543535 (SEQ ID NO:204).

FIG. 8 is an alignment of ME02801 (SEQ ID NO:208) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:981621 (SEQ ID NO:214) and CeresClone:564714 (SEQ ID NO:216).

FIG. 9 is an alignment of ME03123 (SEQ ID NO:218) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1899168 (SEQ ID NO:220), CeresAnnot:1494669 (SEQ ID NO:222), CeresClone:1017441 (SEQ ID NO:225), CeresClone:1065937 (SEQ ID NO:227), CeresClone:1822919 (SEQ ID NO:229), GI No. 125553329 (SEQ ID NO:230), GI No. 115439053 (SEQ ID NO:231), and CeresAnnot:6040744 (SEQ ID NO:1052).

FIG. 10 is an alignment of ME04204 (SEQ ID NO:234) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1519952 (SEQ ID NO:236), CeresClone:234768 (SEQ ID NO:241), GI No. 108707052 (SEQ ID NO:242), and GI No. 55978030 (SEQ ID NO:244).

FIG. 11 s an alignment of ME04477 (SEQ ID NO:246) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1620215 (SEQ ID NO:248), GI No. 38016527 (SEQ ID NO:249), CeresClone:1798756 (SEQ ID NO:251), CeresAnnot:1460527 (SEQ ID NO:255), GI No. 119720772 (SEQ ID NO:260), CeresClone:708446 (SEQ ID NO:262), GI No. 92896423 (SEQ ID NO:265), GI No. 113196593 (SEQ ID NO:267), GI No. 75133829 (SEQ ID NO:268), CeresClone:1030374 (SEQ ID NO:270), CeresClone:1387149 (SEQ ID NO:274), GI No. 5031281 (SEQ ID NO:277), CeresClone:1775820 (SEQ ID NO:279), GI No. 35187687 (SEQ ID NO:286), GI No. 115468934 (SEQ ID NO:290), GI No. 118424243 (SEQ ID NO:296), and CeresAnnot:6063957 (SEQ ID NO:298).

FIG. 12 is an alignment of ME04507 (SEQ ID NO:300) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1513514 (SEQ ID NO:302), CeresClone:923483 (SEQ ID NO:310), CeresClone:304357 (SEQ ID NO:312), CeresClone:1902716 (SEQ ID NO:316), GI No. 116309713 (SEQ ID NO:319), GI No. 38345408 (SEQ ID NO:321), and CeresAnnot:6017635 (SEQ ID NO:325).

FIG. 13 is an alignment of ME04587 (SEQ ID NO:332) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences Ceres ANNOT ID no. 1474882 (SEQ ID NO:334), Ceres ANNOT ID no. 553243 (SEQ ID NO:338), Public GI ID no. 5514645 (SEQ ID NO:339), Ceres CLONE ID no. 464376 (SEQ ID NO:341), Public GI ID no. 1345643 (SEQ ID NO:346), Public GI ID no. 5832707 (SEQ ID NO:347), Public GI ID no. 81157968 (SEQ ID NO:348), Public GI ID no. 6118407 (SEQ ID NO:349), Public GI ID no. 5081817 (SEQ ID NO:351), Public GI ID no. 125556057 (SEQ ID NO:353), Public GI ID no. 115468946 (SEQ ID NO:354), Public GI ID no. 5915860 (SEQ ID NO:356), Public GI ID no. 6979544 (SEQ ID NO:358), Public GI ID no. 5832709 (SEQ ID NO:359), Public GI ID no. 6979542 (SEQ ID NO:360), Public GI ID no. 14278923 (SEQ ID NO:364), Public GI ID no. 81157970 (SEQ ID NO:365), Public GI ID no. 81157972 (SEQ ID NO:366), Public GI ID no. 169793907 (SEQ ID NO:2541), Public GI ID no. 84514153 (SEQ ID NO:2543), Public GI ID no. 184202209 (SEQ ID NO:2544), Ceres ANNOT ID no. 8459850 (SEQ ID NO:2546), Ceres ANNOT ID no. 8743452 (SEQ ID NO:2548), Public GI ID no. 157327290 (SEQ ID NO:2549), Public GI ID no. 148839039 (SEQ ID NO:2550), Public GI ID no. 197209782 (SEQ ID NO:2551), Public GI ID no. 171906244 (SEQ ID NO:2553).

FIG. 14 is an alignment of ME04753 (SEQ ID NO:368) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 21388658 (SEQ ID NO:369), GI No. 4704605 (SEQ ID NO:371), GI No. 90704785 (SEQ ID NO:372), GI No. 115529229 (SEQ ID NO:373), GI No. 20152613 (SEQ ID NO:374), CeresClone:1916226 (SEQ ID NO:376), CeresAnnot:1460836 (SEQ ID NO:392), GI No. 83032218 (SEQ ID NO:420), GI No. 1346180 (SEQ ID NO:422), CeresClone:621487 (SEQ ID NO:425), GI No. 6273331 (SEQ ID NO:433), GI No. 92874469 (SEQ ID NO:434), GI No. 1778374 (SEQ ID NO:436), GI No. 18076086 (SEQ ID NO:437), GI No. 2674201 (SEQ ID NO:438), GI No. 2267567 (SEQ ID NO:440), GI No. 544426 (SEQ ID NO:441), GI No. 6911144 (SEQ ID NO:444), GI No. 469071 (SEQ ID NO:447), GI No. 1934994 (SEQ ID NO:450), GI No. 82623423 (SEQ ID NO:451), GI No. 90265701 (SEQ ID NO:454), GI No. 544423 (SEQ ID NO:455), CeresClone:1320097 (SEQ ID NO:458), CeresClone:1469740 (SEQ ID NO:465), CeresClone:1740834 (SEQ ID NO:473), GI No. 2226370 (SEQ ID NO:474), GI No. 27527723 (SEQ ID NO:475), CeresClone:1762613 (SEQ ID NO:477), GI No. 125545195 (SEQ ID NO:488), GI No. 108710322 (SEQ ID NO:494), GI No. 34851124 (SEQ ID NO:504), GI No. 111162637 (SEQ ID NO:505), GI No. 7024451 (SEQ ID NO:506), and GI No. 1229138 (SEQ ID NO:507).

FIG. 15 is an alignment of ME04772 (SEQ ID NO:510) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 38016521 (SEQ ID NO:511), CeresClone:1895044 (SEQ ID NO:513), CeresAnnot:1512198 (SEQ ID NO:517), CeresClone:682503 (SEQ ID NO:521), CeresClone:685324 (SEQ ID NO:523), CeresClone:1384414 (SEQ ID NO:525), CeresClone:1739919 (SEQ ID NO:527), CeresClone:2002832 (SEQ ID NO:529), GI No. 125531563 (SEQ ID NO:530), and GI No. 115478344 (SEQ ID NO:531).

FIG. 16 is an alignment of ME04909 (SEQ ID NO:533) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1839156 (SEQ ID NO:535), GI No. 56605378 (SEQ ID NO:536), CeresAnnot:1467946 (SEQ ID NO:538), GI No. 110931704 (SEQ ID NO:539), GI No. 92869601 (SEQ ID NO:542), GI No. 12005328 (SEQ ID NO:543), GI No. 119331596 (SEQ ID NO:546), GI No. 7705206 (SEQ ID NO:547), GI No. 18874263 (SEQ ID NO:548), CeresClone:753605 (SEQ ID NO:550), CeresClone:291733 (SEQ ID NO:552), and GI No. 21902114 (SEQ ID NO:553).

FIG. 17 is an alignment of ME05194 (SEQ ID NO:558) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 400972 (SEQ ID NO:559), GI No. 81158002 (SEQ ID NO:560), CeresClone:1834135 (SEQ ID NO:569), CeresAnnot:1467218 (SEQ ID NO:571), CeresClone:1104143 (SEQ ID NO:575), GI No. 87240745 (SEQ ID NO:576), GI No. 13161397 (SEQ ID NO:577), GI No. 18652400 (SEQ ID NO:578), GI No. 18652398 (SEQ ID NO:579), CeresClone:778892 (SEQ ID NO:581), CeresClone:222523 (SEQ ID NO:583), GI No. 82492267 (SEQ ID NO:584), GI No. 41393750 (SEQ ID NO:585), GI No. 4335857 (SEQ ID NO:586), CeresClone:1776394 (SEQ ID NO:588), GI No. 125555681 (SEQ ID NO:589), GI No. 115468460 (SEQ ID NO:590), and GI No. 51980210 (SEQ ID NO:591).

FIG. 18 is an alignment of ME05267 (SEQ ID NO:593) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1511954 (SEQ ID NO:595), CeresClone:560687 (SEQ ID NO:599), CeresClone:579724 (SEQ ID NO:603), CeresClone:286197 (SEQ ID NO:605), and GI No. 115489090 (SEQ ID NO:610).

FIG. 19 is an alignment of ME05300 (SEQ ID NO:613) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:6431448 (SEQ ID NO:615), CeresClone:969084 (SEQ ID NO:620), CeresClone:471052 (SEQ ID NO:622), CeresClone:733048 (SEQ ID NO:624), CeresClone:1062332 (SEQ ID NO:626), CeresClone:1743166 (SEQ ID NO:634), CeresClone:1778589 (SEQ ID NO:638), GI No. 125548354 (SEQ ID NO:643), and GI No. 115458464 (SEQ ID NO:644).

FIG. 20 is an alignment of ME05341 (SEQ ID NO:646) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1808421 (SEQ ID NO:648), CeresAnnot:1452653 (SEQ ID NO:656), CeresClone:1660955 (SEQ ID NO:660), CeresClone:1287179 (SEQ ID NO:668), CeresClone:1770929 (SEQ ID NO:676), GI No. 125542421 (SEQ ID NO:679), GI No. 115450741 (SEQ ID NO:681), and CeresAnnot:6063505 (SEQ ID NO:685).

FIG. 21 is an alignment of ME05392 (SEQ ID NO:687) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1841531 (SEQ ID NO:689), CeresAnnot:1507382 (SEQ ID NO:691), CeresClone:978410 (SEQ ID NO:699), CeresClone:527314 (SEQ ID NO:703), GI No. 92893019 (SEQ ID NO:706), CeresClone:638935 (SEQ ID NO:708), CeresClone:1437744 (SEQ ID NO:712), CeresClone:1728293 (SEQ ID NO:718), GI No. 125526460 (SEQ ID NO:721), GI No. 115463325 (SEQ ID NO:724), and GI No. 40642817 (SEQ ID NO:728).

FIG. 22 is an alignment of ME05429 (SEQ ID NO:730) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1539629 (SEQ ID NO:732), CeresClone:682471 (SEQ ID NO:735), CeresClone:729869 (SEQ ID NO:737), GI No. 115459766 (SEQ ID NO:738), and CeresAnnot:6026765 (SEQ ID NO:742).

FIG. 23 is an alignment of ME05493 (SEQ ID NO:746) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1455092 (SEQ ID NO:748), GI No. 15229284 (SEQ ID NO:751), CeresClone:961796 (SEQ ID NO:753), CeresClone:706956 (SEQ ID NO:755), GI No. 87162911 (SEQ ID NO:758), CeresClone:1061446 (SEQ ID NO:760), GI No. 125540686 (SEQ ID NO:761), GI No. 115447931 (SEQ ID NO:762), GI No. 20152976 (SEQ ID NO:763), and CeresAnnot:6007280 (SEQ ID NO:765).

FIG. 24 is an alignment of ME05885 (SEQ ID NO:769) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1808741 (SEQ ID NO:771), CeresAnnot:1437729 (SEQ ID NO:773), CeresClone:952789 (SEQ ID NO:777), CeresClone:724313 (SEQ ID NO:779), CeresClone:791239 (SEQ ID NO:783), CeresClone:208975 (SEQ ID NO:785), CeresClone:1727075 (SEQ ID NO:789), and GI No. 115475611 (SEQ ID NO:790).

FIG. 25 is an alignment of ME07344 (SEQ ID NO:792) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1843695 (SEQ ID NO:794), GI No. 56605376 (SEQ ID NO:799), CeresAnnot:1508502 (SEQ ID NO:801), CeresClone:1239229 (SEQ ID NO:805), GI No. 92893962 (SEQ ID NO:808), CeresClone:327364 (SEQ ID NO:810), CeresClone:1820378 (SEQ ID NO:816), GI No. 125524748 (SEQ ID NO:819), and GI No. 115435036 (SEQ ID NO:821).

FIG. 26 is an alignment of ME07859 (SEQ ID NO:824) with homologous amino acid sequence Fragment_of_Ceres ANNOT ID no. 6007357 (SEQ ID NO:826), Fragment_of_Ceres CLONE ID no. 771707 (SEQ ID NO:1708), and Fragment_of_Ceres CLONE ID no. 1790436 (SEQ ID NO:1713).

FIG. 27 is an alignment of ME08464 (SEQ ID NO:828) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1499777 (SEQ ID NO:832), GI No. 22328730 (SEQ ID NO:837), GI No. 92886131 (SEQ ID NO:839), GI No. 559921 (SEQ ID NO:840), CeresClone:910787 (SEQ ID NO:842), CeresClone:1797432 (SEQ ID NO:844), GI No. 116310135 (SEQ ID NO:845), GI No. 38345464 (SEQ ID NO:847), and GI No. 90657544 (SEQ ID NO:850).

FIG. 28 is an alignment of ME11735 (SEQ ID NO:855) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 35187445 (SEQ ID NO:856), CeresClone:1798230 (SEQ ID NO:858), CeresAnnot:1500963 (SEQ ID NO:862), CeresClone:567542 (SEQ ID NO:868), CeresClone:702251 (SEQ ID NO:870), CeresClone:1606777 (SEQ ID NO:876), CeresClone:1789146 (SEQ ID NO:878), GI No. 116309500 (SEQ ID NO:885), and GI No. 115446281 (SEQ ID NO:886).

FIG. 29 is an alignment of ME12910 (SEQ ID NO:891) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1466353 (SEQ ID NO:893), CeresClone:519143 (SEQ ID NO:898), GI No. 2501497 (SEQ ID NO:901), GI No. 119394507 (SEQ ID NO:904), GI No. 62857206 (SEQ ID NO:905), CeresClone:766529 (SEQ ID NO:907), GI No. 62857204 (SEQ ID NO:908), GI No. 125534279 (SEQ ID NO:911), GI No. 115485437 (SEQ ID NO:912), GI No. 23955910 (SEQ ID NO:913), and GI No. 22759895 (SEQ ID NO:915).

FIG. 30 is an alignment of ME12927 (SEQ ID NO:917) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1503548 (SEQ ID NO:919), CeresClone:37778 (SEQ ID NO:921), CeresClone:681297 (SEQ ID NO:923), CeresClone:575835 (SEQ ID NO:925), CeresClone:1714750 (SEQ ID NO:935), CeresClone:1721907 (SEQ ID NO:937), and GI No. 115451923 (SEQ ID NO:940).

FIG. 31 is an alignment of ME12929 (SEQ ID NO:944) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1447562 (SEQ ID NO:946), GI No. 98962139 (SEQ ID NO:947), CeresClone:641607 (SEQ ID NO:950), CeresClone:1715150 (SEQ ID NO:962), CeresClone:1873767 (SEQ ID NO:964), GI No. 115468306 (SEQ ID NO:967), and CeresAnnot:6059980 (SEQ ID NO:972).

FIG. 32 is an alignment of ME12954 (SEQ ID NO:976) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:957229 (SEQ ID NO:978) and CeresAnnot:1496202 (SEQ ID NO:980).

FIG. 33 is an alignment of ME12970 (SEQ ID NO:982) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1935438 (SEQ ID NO:984), GI No. 117573664 (SEQ ID NO:985), GI No. 68349002 (SEQ ID NO:991), GI No. 68348998 (SEQ ID NO:992), CeresAnnot:1497170 (SEQ ID NO:995), GI No. 15221718 (SEQ ID NO:996), GI No. 3860331 (SEQ ID NO:1001), CeresClone:1075911 (SEQ ID NO:1003), GI No. 2920839 (SEQ ID NO:1008), CeresClone:698452 (SEQ ID NO:1011), CeresClone:2019456 (SEQ ID NO:1023), GI No. 90399071 (SEQ ID NO:1026), GI No. 115459588 (SEQ ID NO:1028), and GI No. 68349016 (SEQ ID NO:1032).

FIG. 34 is an alignment of ME13021 (SEQ ID NO:1054) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 2493647 (SEQ ID NO:1055), CeresClone:1924252 (SEQ ID NO:1057), GI No. 461736 (SEQ ID NO:1058), CeresAnnot:1542060 (SEQ ID NO:1061), GI No. 15226314 (SEQ ID NO:1068), GI No. 464727 (SEQ ID NO:1072), CeresClone:480644 (SEQ ID NO:1074), GI No. 124301264 (SEQ ID NO:1075), GI No. 1710807 (SEQ ID NO:1076), GI No. 110349923 (SEQ ID NO:1077), GI No. 1762130 (SEQ ID NO:1078), CeresClone:706098 (SEQ ID NO:1080), GI No. 3790441 (SEQ ID NO:1083), CeresClone:1795282 (SEQ ID NO:1085), GI No. 125546535 (SEQ ID NO:1086), GI No. 115488160 (SEQ ID NO:1088), GI No. 84468456 (SEQ ID NO:1092), GI No. 116060917 (SEQ ID NO:1095), and CeresAnnot:6039555 (SEQ ID NO:1097).

FIG. 35 is an alignment of ME13064 (SEQ ID NO:1099) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1528508 (SEQ ID NO:1101), CeresClone:9248 (SEQ ID NO:1103), GI No. 87240560 (SEQ ID NO:1105), GI No. 19453 (SEQ ID NO:1106), CeresClone:1795329 (SEQ ID NO:1108), and GI No. 108862979 (SEQ ID NO:1109).

FIG. 36 is an alignment of ME13071 (SEQ ID NO:1112) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 125541485 (SEQ ID NO:1113), and GI No. 115449245 (SEQ ID NO:1114).

FIG. 37 is an alignment of ME13087 (SEQ ID NO:1116) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:100062822 (SEQ ID NO:1118), CeresAnnot:1440025 (SEQ ID NO:1120), GI No. 15238538 (SEQ ID NO:1123), GI No. 69111473 (SEQ ID NO:1129), GI No. 92873711 (SEQ ID NO:1132), GI No. 55734106 (SEQ ID NO:1133), GI No. 2346974 (SEQ ID NO:1134), CeresClone:569852 (SEQ ID NO:1136), CeresClone:1715326 (SEQ ID NO:1138), CeresClone:1608104 (SEQ ID NO:1140), GI No. 115456237 (SEQ ID NO:1141), GI No. 68655289 (SEQ ID NO:1143), GI No. 81022807 (SEQ ID NO:1144), GI No. 75706704 (SEQ ID NO:1145), and CeresAnnot:6016055 (SEQ ID NO:1147).

FIG. 38 is an alignment of ME13107 (SEQ ID NO:1159) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1371824 (SEQ ID NO:1161), GI No. 22585 (SEQ ID NO:1162), GI No. 22208482 (SEQ ID NO:1163), and GI No. 16073 (SEQ ID NO:1164).

FIG. 39 is an alignment of ME13108 (SEQ ID NO:1166) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 99109436 (SEQ ID NO:1167), CeresClone:1627939 (SEQ ID NO:1169), CeresClone:1840433 (SEQ ID NO:1171), CeresAnnot:1524198 (SEQ ID NO:1173), CeresClone:1650 (SEQ ID NO:1175), CeresClone:691979 (SEQ ID NO:1177), GI No. 92876897 (SEQ ID NO:1180), CeresClone:1774130 (SEQ ID NO:1182), and GI No. 115450018 (SEQ ID NO:1183).

FIG. 40 is an alignment of ME13110 (SEQ ID NO:1185) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:737317 (SEQ ID NO:1187), CeresClone:1880853 (SEQ ID NO:1189), GI No. 125558381 (SEQ ID NO:1190), and GI No. 115472157 (SEQ ID NO:1191).

FIG. 41 is an alignment of ME13125 (SEQ ID NO:1194) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1938817 (SEQ ID NO:1196), CeresAnnot:1457245 (SEQ ID NO:1200), CeresClone:577910 (SEQ ID NO:1202), Public PUBLICCLONE ID no. 100736184 (SEQ ID NO:1203), GI No. 125553355 (SEQ ID NO:1204), and GI No. 5091600 (SEQ ID NO:1205).

FIG. 42 is an alignment of ME13149 (SEQ ID NO:1210) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 1703374 (SEQ ID NO:1211), CeresClone:1846330 (SEQ ID NO:1213), GI No. 29124979 (SEQ ID NO:1216), CeresAnnot:1531725 (SEQ ID NO:1218), GI No. 3334321 (SEQ ID NO:1229), CeresClone:571410 (SEQ ID NO:1232), GI No. 39653273 (SEQ ID NO:1233), GI No. 92875403 (SEQ ID NO:1234), GI No. 11131026 (SEQ ID NO:1235), GI No. 77812440 (SEQ ID NO:1236), GI No. 89475524 (SEQ ID NO:1238), GI No. 3182919 (SEQ ID NO:1239), GI No. 7643794 (SEQ ID NO:1240), GI No. 1710851 (SEQ ID NO:1241), GI No. 115501471 (SEQ ID NO:1242), GI No. 77999251 (SEQ ID NO:1243), GI No. 3450893 (SEQ ID NO:1249), CeresClone:704589 (SEQ ID NO:1251), CeresClone:1384151 (SEQ ID NO:1253), CeresClone:1713894 (SEQ ID NO:1259), GI No. 125560752 (SEQ ID NO:1264), GI No. 115475543 (SEQ ID NO:1265), GI No. 3182922 (SEQ ID NO:1267), GI No. 145353078 (SEQ ID NO:1268), GI No. 11131023 (SEQ ID NO:1269), GI No. 47026845 (SEQ ID NO:1270), and GI No. 38353642 (SEQ ID NO:1272).

FIG. 43 is an alignment of ME13151 (SEQ ID NO:1274) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1884601 (SEQ ID NO:1276), CeresAnnot:1445717 (SEQ ID NO:1280), CeresClone:527903 (SEQ ID NO:1284), GI No. 92891722 (SEQ ID NO:1285), CeresClone:790881 (SEQ ID NO:1287), CeresClone:299417 (SEQ ID NO:1289), CeresClone:1993894 (SEQ ID NO:1291), GI No. 125539547 (SEQ ID NO:1294), GI No. 48716424 (SEQ ID NO:1295), GI No. 84468278 (SEQ ID NO:1297), and CeresAnnot:6036303 (SEQ ID NO:1300).

FIG. 44 is an alignment of ME13153 (SEQ ID NO:1302) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 70609690 (SEQ ID NO:1303), CeresClone:1927524 (SEQ ID NO:1305), CeresAnnot:1467310 (SEQ ID NO:1311), GI No. 45935270 (SEQ ID NO:1313), CeresClone:718446 (SEQ ID NO:1317), GI No. 92875133 (SEQ ID NO:1318), GI No. 1706318 (SEQ ID NO:1319), GI No. 3252856 (SEQ ID NO:1320), GI No. 1169238 (SEQ ID NO:1326), GI No. 31296711 (SEQ ID NO:1327), CeresClone:1468893 (SEQ ID NO:1330), GI No. 51587340 (SEQ ID NO:1331), CeresClone:1796201 (SEQ ID NO:1333), GI No. 125543034 (SEQ ID NO:1334), GI No. 115476804 (SEQ ID NO:1336), GI No. 75268060 (SEQ ID NO:1339), and GI No. 75268007 (SEQ ID NO:1340).

FIG. 45 is an alignment of ME13177 (SEQ ID NO:1342) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1443786 (SEQ ID NO:1346), GI No. 15239172 (SEQ ID NO:1355), GI No. 562190 (SEQ ID NO:1363), GI No. 83032266 (SEQ ID NO:1364), CeresClone:602910 (SEQ ID NO:1366), GI No. 7242793 (SEQ ID NO:1370), GI No. 116167 (SEQ ID NO:1371), GI No. 2190259 (SEQ ID NO:1372), GI No. 5420278 (SEQ ID NO:1373), GI No. 1064931 (SEQ ID NO:1374), GI No. 6093215 (SEQ ID NO:1377), GI No. 461726 (SEQ ID NO:1378), GI No. 89111295 (SEQ ID NO:1379), GI No. 82949283 (SEQ ID NO:1380), GI No. 125537180 (SEQ ID NO:1381), GI No. 115489300 (SEQ ID NO:1382), and GI No. 55978000 (SEQ ID NO:1383).

FIG. 46 is an alignment of ME13200 (SEQ ID NO:1385) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1503394 (SEQ ID NO:1387), GI No. 4914437 (SEQ ID NO:1390), CeresClone:638126 (SEQ ID NO:1393), GI No. 124360540 (SEQ ID NO:1394), GI No. 7981380 (SEQ ID NO:1395), GI No. 118137433 (SEQ ID NO:1396), CeresClone:1723374 (SEQ ID NO:1398), CeresClone:1785379 (SEQ ID NO:1400), GI No. 125553354 (SEQ ID NO:1401), GI No. 115471859 (SEQ ID NO:1404), and CeresAnnot:6040771 (SEQ ID NO:1407).

FIG. 47 is an alignment of ME13204 (SEQ ID NO:1409) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1939206 (SEQ ID NO:1413), CeresAnnot:1453316 (SEQ ID NO:1415), GI No. 79319075 (SEQ ID NO:1418), GI No. 124359953 (SEQ ID NO:1419), CeresClone:891431 (SEQ ID NO:1421), GI No. 125536578 (SEQ ID NO:1424), and GI No. 20270065 (SEQ ID NO:1425).

FIG. 48 is an alignment of ME14649 (SEQ ID NO:1428) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1978733 (SEQ ID NO:1430), CeresAnnot:1476165 (SEQ ID NO:1432), CeresClone:871529 (SEQ ID NO:1436), CeresClone:1043344 (SEQ ID NO:1439), CeresClone:786542 (SEQ ID NO:1442), CeresClone:346115 (SEQ ID NO:1444), CeresClone:1821683 (SEQ ID NO:1452), GI No. 125533171 (SEQ ID NO:1453), and GI No. 77553492 (SEQ ID NO:1457)

FIG. 49 is an alignment of ME16546 (SEQ ID NO:1463) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1444102 (SEQ ID NO:1465), CeresClone:582439 (SEQ ID NO:1471), CeresClone:579953 (SEQ ID NO:1473), GI No. 125539335 (SEQ ID NO:1474), and GI No. 115445987 (SEQ ID NO:1476).

FIG. 50 is an alignment of ME17567 (SEQ ID NO:1491) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1895876 (SEQ ID NO:1493), CeresAnnot:1464522 (SEQ ID NO:1495), CeresClone:968434 (SEQ ID NO:1499), CeresClone:686479 (SEQ ID NO:1501), CeresClone:1564962 (SEQ ID NO:1503), GI No. 125549699 (SEQ ID NO:1504), GI No. 125591612 (SEQ ID NO:1505), and CeresAnnot:6006969 (SEQ ID NO:1508).

FIG. 51 is an alignment of ME17932 (SEQ ID NO:1510) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresClone:1842178 (SEQ ID NO:1512), CeresAnnot:1475265 (SEQ ID NO:1516) and CeresClone:1044646 (SEQ ID NO:1520).

FIG. 52 is an alignment of ME17936 (SEQ ID NO:1525) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1454324 (SEQ ID NO:1527), CeresClone:1652842 (SEQ ID NO:1534), and GI No. 75214620 (SEQ ID NO:1535).

FIG. 53 is an alignment of ME18275 (SEQ ID NO:1537) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences CeresAnnot:1514086 (SEQ ID NO:1539), CeresClone:1087909 (SEQ ID NO:1543), CeresClone:1359070 (SEQ ID NO:1545), GI No. 92880913 (SEQ ID NO:1548), CeresClone:932449 (SEQ ID NO:1550), and CeresClone:1788695 (SEQ ID NO:1552).

FIG. 54 is an alignment of ME18924 (SEQ ID NO:1554) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 82469976 (SEQ ID NO:1555), CeresAnnot:1533704 (SEQ ID NO:1563), CeresClone:524404 (SEQ ID NO:1565), CeresClone:846541 (SEQ ID NO:1567), CeresClone:1769321 (SEQ ID NO:1571), GI No. 125528559 (SEQ ID NO:1572), GI No. 125572823 (SEQ ID NO:1574), and GI No. 84453208 (SEQ ID NO:1575).

FIG. 55 is an alignment of ME19182 (SEQ ID NO:1577) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 4033417 (SEQ ID NO:1040), GI No. 5669924 (SEQ ID NO:1041), GI No. 40642617 (SEQ ID NO:1440), GI No. 90399018 (SEQ ID NO:1485), GI No. 115464117 (SEQ ID NO:1487), GI No. 75164812 (SEQ ID NO:1578), CeresClone:1794223 (SEQ ID NO:1580), CeresAnnot:1471422 (SEQ ID NO:1590), CeresClone:968096 (SEQ ID NO:1607), GI No. 6752884 (SEQ ID NO:1608), GI No. 47775656 (SEQ ID NO:1609), CeresClone:1020799 (SEQ ID NO:1611), GI No. 87240865 (SEQ ID NO:1622), GI No. 2500047 (SEQ ID NO:1623), CeresClone:705340 (SEQ ID NO:1627), CeresClone:1430456 (SEQ ID NO:1637), GI No. 84619270 (SEQ ID NO:1648), and CeresClone:1821143 (SEQ ID NO:1651).

FIG. 56 is an alignment of ME20628 (SEQ ID NO:1437) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences GI No. 113367236 (SEQ ID NO:173), GI No. 115477615 (SEQ ID NO:212), GI No. 125542223 (SEQ ID NO:361), GI No. 1838976 (SEQ ID NO:421), CeresClone:1547185 (SEQ ID NO:443), CeresAnnot:1450452 (SEQ ID NO:740), and GI No. 92870675 (SEQ ID NO:1461).

FIG. 57 is an alignment of ME01821 (SEQ ID NO:97) with homologous and/or orthologous amino acid sequences Public GI ID no. 167480754 (SEQ ID NO:2013) and Public GI ID no. 83830869 (SEQ ID NO:2015).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention provides methods and materials related to modulating low-nitrogen tolerance levels in plants. In some embodiments, the plants may also have modulated levels of low-nitrogen tolerance. The methods can include transforming a plant cell with a nucleic acid encoding a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide, wherein expression of the polypeptide results in a modulated level of low-nitrogen tolerance. Plant cells produced using such methods can be grown to produce plants having an increased tolerance to conditions with limiting exogenous nitrogen sources. Such plants can be used for the production of higher yields and biomasses with existing fertilizer inputs, and/or enable existing yields and biomass of crops to be obtained with lower fertilizer input, or better yields and biomasses on soils of poorer quality.

I. Definitions

“Amino acid” refers to one of the twenty biologically occurring amino acids and to synthetic amino acids, including D/L optical isomers.

“Cell type-preferential promoter” or “tissue-preferential promoter” refers to a promoter that drives expression preferentially in a target cell type or tissue, respectively, but may also lead to some transcription in other cell types or tissues as well.

“Control plant” refers to a plant that does not contain the exogenous nucleic acid present in a transgenic plant of interest, but otherwise has the same or similar genetic background as such a transgenic plant. A suitable control plant can be a non-transgenic wild type plant, a non-transgenic segregant from a transformation experiment, or a transgenic plant that contains an exogenous nucleic acid other than the exogenous nucleic acid of interest.

“Domains” are groups of substantially contiguous amino acids in a polypeptide that can be used to characterize protein families and/or parts of proteins. Such domains have a “fingerprint” or “signature” that can comprise conserved primary sequence, secondary structure, and/or three-dimensional conformation. Generally, domains are correlated with specific in vitro and/or in vivo activities. A domain can have a length of from 10 amino acids to 400 amino acids, e.g., 10 to 50 amino acids, or 25 to 100 amino acids, or 35 to 65 amino acids, or 35 to 55 amino acids, or 45 to 60 amino acids, or 200 to 300 amino acids, or 300 to 400 amino acids.

“Down-regulation” refers to regulation that decreases production of expression products (mRNA, polypeptide, or both) relative to basal or native states.

“Exogenous” with respect to a nucleic acid indicates that the nucleic acid is part of a recombinant nucleic acid construct, or is not in its natural environment. For example, an exogenous nucleic acid can be a sequence from one species introduced into another species, i.e., a heterologous nucleic acid. Typically, such an exogenous nucleic acid is introduced into the other species via a recombinant nucleic acid construct. An exogenous nucleic acid can also be a sequence that is native to an organism and that has been reintroduced into cells of that organism. An exogenous nucleic acid that includes a native sequence can often be distinguished from the naturally occurring sequence by the presence of non-natural sequences linked to the exogenous nucleic acid, e.g., non-native regulatory sequences flanking a native sequence in a recombinant nucleic acid construct. In addition, stably transformed exogenous nucleic acids typically are integrated at positions other than the position where the native sequence is found. It will be appreciated that an exogenous nucleic acid may have been introduced into a progenitor and not into the cell under consideration. For example, a transgenic plant containing an exogenous nucleic acid can be the progeny of a cross between a stably transformed plant and a non-transgenic plant. Such progeny are considered to contain the exogenous nucleic acid.

“Expression” refers to the process of converting genetic information of a polynucleotide into RNA through transcription, which is catalyzed by an enzyme, RNA polymerase, and into protein, through translation of mRNA on ribosomes.

“Heterologous polypeptide” as used herein refers to a polypeptide that is not a naturally occurring polypeptide in a plant cell, e.g., a transgenic Panicum virgatum plant transformed with and expressing the coding sequence for a nitrogen transporter polypeptide from a Zea mays plant.

“Isolated nucleic acid” as used herein includes a naturally-occurring nucleic acid, provided one or both of the sequences immediately flanking that nucleic acid in its naturally-occurring genome is removed or absent. Thus, an isolated nucleic acid includes, without limitation, a nucleic acid that exists as a purified molecule or a nucleic acid molecule that is incorporated into a vector or a virus. A nucleic acid existing among hundreds to millions of other nucleic acids within, for example, cDNA libraries, genomic libraries, or gel slices containing a genomic DNA restriction digest, is not to be considered an isolated nucleic acid.

“Low Nitrogen Conditions” as used herein refers to nitrogen concentrations which lead to nitrogen deficiency symptoms such as pale green leaf color, chlorosis and reduced growth and vigor. Typically, low nitrogen conditions lead to a reduction of at least 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% in growth and/or vigor.

“Modulation” of the level of low-nitrogen tolerance refers to the change in the level of tolerance of a plant to limiting exogenous nitrogen sources that is observed as a result of expression of, or transcription from, an exogenous nucleic acid in a plant cell. The change in low-nitrogen tolerance level is measured by changes in plant size and greenness as well as greater photosynthesis efficiency, relative to the corresponding level in control plants in an environment with limiting nitrogen supply.

“Nucleic acid” and “polynucleotide” are used interchangeably herein, and refer to both RNA and DNA, including cDNA, genomic DNA, synthetic DNA, and DNA or RNA containing nucleic acid analogs. Polynucleotides can have any three-dimensional structure. A nucleic acid can be double-stranded or single-stranded (i.e., a sense strand or an antisense strand). Non-limiting examples of polynucleotides include genes, gene fragments, exons, introns, messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA, ribosomal RNA, siRNA, micro-RNA, ribozymes, cDNA, recombinant polynucleotides, branched polynucleotides, nucleic acid probes and nucleic acid primers. A polynucleotide may contain unconventional or modified nucleotides.

“Operably linked” refers to the positioning of a regulatory region and a sequence to be transcribed in a nucleic acid so that the regulatory region is effective for regulating transcription or translation of the sequence. For example, to operably link a coding sequence and a regulatory region, the translation initiation site of the translational reading frame of the coding sequence is typically positioned between one and about fifty nucleotides downstream of the regulatory region. A regulatory region can, however, be positioned as much as about 5,000 nucleotides upstream of the translation initiation site, or about 2,000 nucleotides upstream of the transcription start site.

“Polypeptide” as used herein refers to a compound of two or more subunit amino acids, amino acid analogs, or other peptidomimetics, regardless of post-translational modification, e.g., phosphorylation or glycosylation. The subunits may be linked by peptide bonds or other bonds such as, for example, ester or ether bonds. Full-length polypeptides, truncated polypeptides, point mutants, insertion mutants, splice variants, chimeric proteins, and fragments thereof are encompassed by this definition.

“Progeny” includes descendants of a particular plant or plant line. Progeny of an instant plant include seeds formed on F₁, F₂, F₃, F₄, F₅, F₆ and subsequent generation plants, or seeds formed on BC₁, BC₂, BC₃, and subsequent generation plants, or seeds formed on F₁BC₁, F₁BC₂, F₁BC₃, and subsequent generation plants. The designation F₁ refers to the progeny of a cross between two parents that are genetically distinct. The designations F₂, F₃, F₄, F₅ and F₆ refer to subsequent generations of self- or sib-pollinated progeny of an F₁ plant.

“Regulatory region” refers to a nucleic acid having nucleotide sequences that influence transcription or translation initiation and rate, and stability and/or mobility of a transcription or translation product. Regulatory regions include, without limitation, promoter sequences, enhancer sequences, response elements, protein recognition sites, inducible elements, protein binding sequences, 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs), transcriptional start sites, termination sequences, polyadenylation sequences, introns, and combinations thereof. A regulatory region typically comprises at least a core (basal) promoter. A regulatory region also may include at least one control element, such as an enhancer sequence, an upstream element or an upstream activation region (UAR). For example, a suitable enhancer is a cis-regulatory element (−212 to −154) from the upstream region of the octopine synthase (ocs) gene. Fromm et al. (1989) The Plant Cell, 1:977-984.

“Up-regulation” refers to regulation that increases the level of an expression product (mRNA, polypeptide, or both) relative to basal or native states.

“Vector” refers to a replicon, such as a plasmid, phage, or cosmid, into which another DNA segment may be inserted so as to bring about the replication of the inserted segment. Generally, a vector is capable of replication when associated with the proper control elements. The term “vector” includes cloning and expression vectors, as well as viral vectors and integrating vectors. An “expression vector” is a vector that includes a regulatory region.

II. Polypeptides

Polypeptides described herein include low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides. Low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides can be effective to modulate low-nitrogen tolerance levels when expressed in a plant or plant cell. Such polypeptides typically contain at least one domain indicative of low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides, as described in more detail herein. Low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides typically have an HMM bit score that is greater than 20, as described in more detail herein. In some embodiments, low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides have greater than 80% identity to SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:152, SEQ ID NO:166, SEQ ID NO:186, SEQ ID NO:208, SEQ ID NO:218, SEQ ID NO:234, SEQ ID NO:246, SEQ ID NO:300, SEQ ID NO:332, SEQ ID NO:368, SEQ ID NO:510, SEQ ID NO:533, SEQ ID NO:556, SEQ ID NO:558, SEQ ID NO:593, SEQ ID NO:613, SEQ ID NO:646, SEQ ID NO:687, SEQ ID NO:730, SEQ ID NO:746, SEQ ID NO:769, SEQ ID NO:792, SEQ ID NO:824, SEQ ID NO:828, SEQ ID NO:853, SEQ ID NO:855, SEQ ID NO:891, SEQ ID NO:917, SEQ ID NO:944, SEQ ID NO:976, SEQ ID NO:982, SEQ ID NO:1054, SEQ ID NO:1099, SEQ ID NO:1112, SEQ ID NO:1116, SEQ ID NO:1157, SEQ ID NO:1159, SEQ ID NO:1166, SEQ ID NO:1185, SEQ ID NO:1194, SEQ ID NO:1210, SEQ ID NO:1274, SEQ ID NO:1302, SEQ ID NO:1342, SEQ ID NO:1385, SEQ ID NO:1409, SEQ ID NO:1428, SEQ ID NO:1437, SEQ ID NO:1463, SEQ ID NO:1491, SEQ ID NO:1510, SEQ ID NO:1525, SEQ ID NO:1537, SEQ ID NO:1554, or SEQ ID NO:1577, as described in more detail herein.

A. Domains Indicative of Low Nitrogen Tolerance-Modulating Polypeptides

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a P450 domain, which is characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the Cytochrome P450 superfamily. Cytochrome P450s are haem-thiolate proteins involved in the oxidative degradation of various compounds. They are particularly well known for their role in the degradation of environmental toxins and mutagens. In plants, these proteins are important for the biosynthesis of several compounds such as hormones, defensive compounds and fatty acids. Sequence conservation is relatively low within the family—there are only 3 absolutely conserved residues—but their general topography and structural fold are highly conserved. The conserved core is composed of a coil termed the ‘meander’, a four-helix bundle, helices J and K, and two sets of beta-sheets. These constitute the haem-binding loop, the proton-transfer groove and the conserved EXXR motif in helix K. While prokaryotic P450s are soluble proteins, most eukaryotic P450s are associated with microsomal membranes. Their general enzymatic function is to catalyse regiospecific and stereospecific oxidation of non-activated hydrocarbons at physiological temperatures. SEQ ID NO:3 and SEQ ID NO:332 set forth the amino acid sequence of Arabidopsis clones, identified herein as ME00919 (SEQ ID NO:3) and ME04587 (SEQ ID NO:332) respectively, that are predicted to encode polypeptides containing a Cytochrome P450 domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a zf-Dof domain, which is conserved in several DNA-binding proteins of higher plants. Dof domain is a zinc finger DNA-binding domain that shows resemblance to the Cys2 zinc finger, although it has a longer putative loop where an extra Cys residue is typically conserved. The motif is also present in SEQ ID NO:49, which sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME01312 (SEQ ID NO:49), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a zf-D of domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain an Aminotran_3 domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the aminotransferase Class-III family. Aminotransferases share certain mechanistic features with other pyridoxalphosphate-dependent enzymes, such as the covalent binding of the pyridoxalphosphate group to a lysine residue. Class-III aminotransferases include acetylornithine aminotransferase, which catalyzes the transfer of an amino group from acetylornithine to alpha-ketoglutarate, yielding N-acetyl-glutamic-5-semi-aldehyde and glutamic acid; ornithine aminotransferase, which catalyzes the transfer of an amino group from ornithine to alpha-ketoglutarate, yielding glutamic-5-semi-aldehyde and glutamic acid; omega-amino acid—pyruvate aminotransferase, which catalyzes transamination between a variety of omega-amino acids, mono- and diamines, and pyruvate; 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase; GABA transaminase, which catalyzes the transfer of an amino group from GABA to alpha-ketoglutarate, yielding succinate semialdehyde and glutamic acid; DAPA aminotransferase, a bacterial enzyme (bioA), which catalyzes an intermediate step in the biosynthesis of biotin, the transamination of 7-keto-8-aminopelargonic acid to form 7,8-diaminopelargonic acid; 2,2-dialkylglycine decarboxylase, a Burkholderia cepacia (Pseudomonas cepacia) enzyme (dgdA) that catalyzes the decarboxylating amino transfer of 2,2-dialkylglycine and pyruvate to dialkyl ketone, alanine and carbon dioxide; glutamate-1-semialdehyde aminotransferase (GSA); Bacillus subtilis aminotransferases yhxA and yodT; Haemophilus influenzae aminotransferase HI0949; and Caenorhabditis elegans aminotransferase. On the basis of sequence similarity, these various enzymes can be grouped into subfamilies. The aminotran_3 domain is also present in SEQ ID NO:77, which set forth the amino acid sequences of Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME01463 (SEQ ID NO:77), that is predicted to encode polypeptides containing an aminotran_3 domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a linker histone domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the linker histone H1 and H5 family. Linker histone H1 is an essential component of chromatin structure. H1 links nucleosomes into higher order structures. Histone H5 performs the same function as histone H1, and replaces H1 in certain cells. The structure of GH5, the globular domain of the linker histone H5 fold is similar to the DNA-binding domain of the catabolite gene activator protein, CAP, thus providing a possible model for the binding of GH5 to DNA. The domain is also present in SEQ ID NO:100, which sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME01910 (SEQ ID NO:100), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a linker histone domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a zf-C3HC4 domain, which is predicted to be characteristic of proteins belonging to the C3HC4 type zinc-finger (RING finger) protein family. The C3HC4 type zinc-finger (RING finger) is a cysteine-rich domain of approximately 40 to 60 residues that coordinates two zinc ions, and is probably involved in mediating protein-protein interactions. Members of the C3HC4 type zinc-finger (RING finger) protein family contain the loosely conserved sequence: C-X2-C-X(9-39)-C-X(1-3)-H-X(2-3)-C-X2-C-X(4-48)-C-X2-C where X is any amino acid. The domain is also present in SEQ ID NOs:166, 746, 976, 1428, which set forth the amino acid sequences of Arabidopsis clones, identified herein as Ceres ME02603 (SEQ ID NO:166), ME05493 (SEQ ID NO:746), ME12954 (SEQ ID NO:976), ME14649 (SEQ ID NO:1428) respectively, that are predicted to encode polypeptides containing a zf-C3HC4 domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a Gal Lectin domain characteristic of a galactose binding lectin domain protein. SEQ ID NO:208 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME02801 (SEQ ID NO:208), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a galactose binding lectin domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a TRP_1 domain characteristic of tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain protein. The tetratricopeptide repeat is a structural motif present in a wide range of proteins identified in various different organisms, ranging from bacteria to humans. It mediates protein-protein interactions and the assembly of multiprotein complexes. Sequence alignment of the TPR domains reveals a consensus sequence defined by a pattern of small and large amino acids. Proteins containing TPRs are involved in a variety of biological processes, such as cell cycle regulation, transcriptional control, mitochondrial and peroxisomal protein transport, neurogenesis and protein folding. The X-ray structure of a domain containing three TPRs from protein phosphatase 5 revealed that TPR adopts a helixturnhelix arrangement, with adjacent TPR motifs packing in a parallel fashion, resulting in a spiral of repeating anti-parallel alpha-helices. The two helices are denoted helix A and helix B. The packing angle between helix A and helix B is ˜24° within a single TPR and generates a right-handed superhelical shape. Helix A interacts with helix B and with helix A′ of the next TPR. Two protein surfaces are generated: the inner concave surface is contributed to mainly by residue on helices A, and the other surface presents residues from both helices A and B.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a TRP_2 tetratricopeptide repeat domain, which is predicted to be characteristic of scaffold-proteins in multiprotein complexes. The TPR_2 domain consists of approximately 34-amino-acid motif with a loose consensus and is present, usually as multiple tandem repeats, in proteins with many cellular functions, including mitosis, transcription, protein transport, and development. Structural analysis of the TPR-2 domain demonstrates that it forms two α-helical regions separated by a turn, such that apposed bulky and small side chains form a “knob and hole” structure. In general, the hydrophobic surface of this structure mediates protein-protein interactions between TPR- and non-TPR-containing proteins.

SEQ ID NO:234 sets forth the amino acid sequence of Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME04204 (SEQ ID NO:234), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a TRP_1 tetratricopeptide repeat domain and a TRP_2 tetratricopeptide repeat domain. SEQ ID NO:1510 sets forth the amino acid sequence of Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME17932 (SEQ ID NO:1510), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a TRP_2 tetratricopeptide repeat domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a zf-AN1 domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the AN1-like Zinc finger domain protein family. The AN1-like Zinc finger domain was first identified as a zinc finger at the C-terminus of An1 a ubiquitin-like protein in Xenopus laevis. The following pattern describes the zinc finger: C-X2-C-X(9-12)-C-X(1-2)-C-X4-C-X2-H-X5-H-X-C, where X can be any amino acid, and numbers in brackets indicate the number of residues.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a zf-A20 domain, which is characteristic of A20—(an inhibitor of cell death)—like zinc fingers. In animals, A20-like zinc fingers are believed to mediate self-association in A20. These fingers also mediate IL-1-induced NF-kappa B activation. SEQ ID NO: 246 sets forth the amino acid sequence of Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME04477 (SEQ ID NO:246), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing an AN1-like Zinc finger domain and zf-A20 domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain an Aa_trans domain, or transmembrane amino acid transporter domain, which is predicted to be characteristic of amino acid transporters and amino acid permeases. The domain is also present in SEQ ID NO:300, which sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME04507 (SEQ ID NO:300), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing an transmembrane amino acid transporter domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain an RNA recognition motif (as known as RRM_1, RRM, RBD, or RNP domain), which is characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the single strand RNA-binding protein superfamily. RRM proteins have a variety of RNA binding preferences and functions, and include heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs), proteins implicated in regulation of alternative splicing, protein components of small nuclear ribonucleoproteins, and proteins that regulate RNA stability and translation. The RRM in heterodimeric splicing factor U2 snRNP auxiliary factor (U2AF) appears to have two RRM-like domains with specialized features for protein recognition. The motif also appears in a few single stranded DNA binding proteins. The typical RRM consists of four anti-parallel beta-strands and two alpha-helices arranged in a beta-alpha-beta-beta-alpha-beta fold with side chains that stack with RNA bases. Specificity of RNA binding is determined by multiple contacts with surrounding amino acids. A third helix is present during RNA binding in some cases. The motif is also present in SEQ ID NO:368 and SEQ ID NO:1274, which set forth the amino acid sequences of Arabidopsis clones, identified herein as Ceres ME04753 (SEQ ID NO:368) and ME13151 (SEQ ID NO:1274) respectively, that are predicted to encode polypeptides containing an RNA recognition motif

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain an NTF2 domain characteristic of a nuclear transport factor 2 (NTF2) polypeptide. NTF2 is a homodimer of approximately 14 kDa subunits which stimulates efficient nuclear import of a cargo protein. NTF2 binds to both RanGDP and FxFG repeat-containing nucleoporins. NTF2 binds to RanGDP sufficiently strongly for the complex to remain intact during transport through nucleopore complexes (NPCs), but the interaction between NTF2 and FxFG nucleoporins is much more transient, which would enable NTF2 to move through the NPC by hopping from one repeat to another. NTF2 folds into a cone with a deep hydrophobic cavity, the opening of which is surrounded by several negatively charged residues. RanGDP binds to NTF2 by inserting a conserved phenylalanine residue into the hydrophobic pocket of NTF2 and making electrostatic interactions with the conserved negatively charged residues that surround the cavity. A structurally similar domain appears in other nuclear import proteins. SEQ ID NO:1274, which sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME13151 (SEQ ID NO:1274), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a NTF2 domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a DUF1218 domain. SEQ ID NO:1274, which sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME04772 (SEQ ID NO:510), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a DUF1218 domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a Myb-like DNA-binding domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to a protein family whose members contain the DNA binding domains from Myb proteins, as well as the SANT domain family. SEQ ID NO:533, which sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME04909 (SEQ ID NO:533), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a Myb-like DNA-binding domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a FAD_binding_4 domain. This domain is predicted to be characteristic of polypeptides belonging to a family of enzymes that use FAD (flavin adenine dinucleotide) as a co-factor, most of the enzymes are similar to oxygen oxidoreductase, containing a covalently bound FAD group which is attached to a histidine via an 8-alpha-(N3-histidyl)-riboflavin linkage.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a BBE domain, which is predicted to be characteristic of a berberine bridge and berberine bridge-like enzyme. BBE enzymes are typically involved in the biosynthesis of numerous isoquinoline alkaloids. They catalyse the transformation of the N-methyl group of (S)-reticuline into the C-8 berberine bridge carbon of (S)-scoulerine. SEQ ID NO:558 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME05194 (SEQ ID NO:558), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing an FAD_binding_4 domain and a BBE domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a prefoldin (PFD) domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the prefoldin subunit family. Prefoldin (PFD) is a chaperone that typically interacts with type II chaperonins, hetero-oligomers lacking an obligate co-chaperonin that are found in eukaryotes (chaperonin-containing T-complex polypeptide-1 (CCT)) and archaea. Eukaryotic PFD can typically bind both actin and tubulin co-translationally. The chaperone can then delivers the target protein to CCT, interacting with the chaperonin through the tips of the coiled coils. SEQ ID NO:593 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME05267 (SEQ ID NO:593), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a prefoldin domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain an HR-lesion domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to a family of plant proteins can be associated with the hypersensitive response (HR) pathway of defense against plant pathogens. The domain is also present in SEQ ID NO: 646, which sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME05341 (SEQ ID NO: 646), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing an HR-lesion domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a DUF538 domain. SEQ ID NO:687 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME05392 (SEQ ID NO:687), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a DUF538 domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a zinc finger C-x8-C-x5-C-x3-H type domain (zf-CCCH), which is characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the zinc finger protein superfamily. Members of zinc finger domains proteins are thought to be involved in DNA-binding, and exist as different types. Proteins containing zinc finger domains of the C-x8-C-x5-C-x3-H type include zinc finger proteins from eukaryotes involved in cell cycle or growth phase-related regulation. It has been shown that different CCCH zinc finger proteins interact with the 3′ untranslated region of various mRNA. SEQ ID NO:792 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME07344 (SEQ ID NO:792), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a zf-CCCH domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a DUF246 domain. SEQ ID NO:828 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME08464 (SEQ ID NO:828), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a DUF246 domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a C2 domain. The C2 domain is a Ca2+-dependent membrane-targeting module found in many cellular proteins involved in signal transduction or membrane trafficking C2 domains are unique among membrane targeting domains in that they typically show wide range of lipid selectivity for the major components of cell membranes, including phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylcholine. SEQ ID NO:982 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME12970 (SEQ ID NO:982), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing an C2 domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a Cpn60_TCP1 domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the TCP-1/cpn60 chaperonin family. This family includes members from the HSP60 chaperone family and the TCP-1 (T-complex protein) family. Chaperonins, a subfamily of molecular chaperones, are typically essential for the correct folding and assembly of polypeptides into oligomeric structures. Chaperonins are typically found in abundance in prokaryotes, chloroplasts and mitochondria. They are typically required for normal cell growth, and are stress-induced, acting to stabilize or protect disassembled polypeptides under heat-shock conditions. SEQ ID NO: 1054 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME13021 (SEQ ID NO: 1054), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a Cpn60 TCP1 domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a zf-C₂H₂ domain characteristic of a C₂H₂ zinc finger domain polypeptide. Zinc finger domains are nucleic acid-binding protein structures composed of 25 to 30 amino-acid residues including 2 conserved Cys and 2 conserved His residues in a C-2-C-12-H-3-H type motif. The 12 residues separating the second Cys and the first His are mainly polar and basic, implicating this region in particular in nucleic acid binding. They have the ability to bind to both RNA and DNA, and it has been suggested that the zinc finger may thus represent the original nucleic acid binding protein. It has also been suggested that a Zn-centered domain could be used in a protein interaction, e.g. in protein kinase C. Many classes of zinc fingers are characterized according to the number and positions of the histidine and cysteine residues involved in the zinc atom coordination. In C₂H₂ zinc finger class, the first pair of zinc coordinating residues are cysteines, while the second pair are histidines. The motif is also present in SEQ ID NO:1116, which sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME13087 (SEQ ID NO:1116), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a zf-C2H2 domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a zein domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the zein family of seed storage proteins. SEQ ID NO:1159, which sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME13107 (SEQ ID NO: 1159), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a zein domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a snf7 domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to a family of eukaryotic proteins related to yeast SNF7. SEQ ID NO:1185 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME13110 (SEQ ID NO:1185), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a snf7 domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain an HhH-GPD domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the HhH-GPD base excision DNA repair protein superfamily. Members of the HhH-GPD base excision DNA repair protein superfamily contain helix-hairpin-helix and Gly/Pro rich loop followed by a conserved aspartate. This domain is found in a diverse range of structurally related DNA repair proteins. The domain is also present in SEQ ID NO:1194 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME13125 (SEQ ID NO:1194), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing an HhH-GPD domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain an Arf domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the ADP-ribosylation factor family. The small ADP ribosylation factor (Arf) GTP-binding proteins are major regulators of vesicle biogenesis in intracellular traffic. They are the founding members of a growing family that includes Arl (Arf-like), Arp (Arf-related proteins) and the remotely related Sar (Secretion-associated and Ras-related) proteins. Arf proteins cycle between inactive GDP-bound and active GTP-bound forms that bind selectively to effectors. The classical structural GDP/GTP switch is characterized by conformational changes at the so-called switch 1 and switch 2 regions, which bind tightly to the gamma-phosphate of GTP but poorly or not at all to the GDP nucleotide. Structural studies of Arf1 and Arf6 have revealed that although these proteins feature the switch 1 and 2 conformational changes, they depart from other small GTP-binding proteins in that they use an additional, unique switch to propagate structural information from one side of the protein to the other. The GDP/GTP structural cycles of human Arf1 and Arf6 feature a unique conformational change that affects the beta2beta3 strands connecting switch 1 and switch 2 (interswitch) and also the amphipathic helical N-terminus. SEQ ID NO: 1210 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME13149 (SEQ ID NO:1210), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing an Arf domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a Pyridoxal_deC domain characteristic of pyridoxal-dependent decarboxylase polypeptide. Pyridoxal-dependent decarboxylases typically share regions of sequence similarity, particularly in the vicinity of a conserved lysine residue, which provides the attachment site for the pyridoxal-phosphate (PLP) group. Pyridoxal phosphate is the active form of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine or pyridoxal). PLP is a versatile catalyst, acting as a coenzyme in a multitude of reactions, including decarboxylation, deamination and transamination. PLP-dependent enzymes, including pyridoxal-dependent decarboxylases, are involved in the biosynthesis of amino acids and amino acid-derived metabolites, but they are also found in the biosynthetic pathways of amino sugars and in the synthesis or catabolism of neurotransmitter. SEQ ID NO:1302 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME13153 (SEQ ID NO:1302), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a Pyridoxal_deC domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a Cyclin_C domain, which is characteristic to the C-terminal domain of polypeptides belonging to the Cyclin family. Cyclins are eukaryotic proteins that play an active role in controlling nuclear cell division cycles, and regulate cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs). Cyclins, together with the p34 (cdc2) or cdk2 kinases, form the Maturation Promoting Factor (MPF). There are two main groups of cyclins, G1/S cyclins, which play a role in the control of the cell cycle at the G1/S (start) transition, and G2/M cyclins, which play a role in the control of the cell cycle at the G2/M (mitosis) transition. G2/M cyclins accumulate steadily during G2 and are abruptly destroyed as cells exit from mitosis (at the end of the M-phase). Cyclins typically contain two domains of similar all-alpha fold, of which this family corresponds with the C-terminal domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a Cyclin_N domain, which defines the N-terminal domain of polypeptides belonging to the Cyclin family. SEQ ID NO: 1342 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME13177 (SEQ ID NO: 1342), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a Cyclin_C domain and a Cyclin_N domain

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a DUF1442 domain. SEQ ID NO:1463, which sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME16546 (SEQ ID NO:1463), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a DUF1442 domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain an HLH domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the Helix-loop-helix DNA-binding domain superfamily. Basic helix-loop-helix proteins (bHLH) are a group of eukaryotic transcription factors that can exert a determinative influence in a variety of developmental pathways. These transcription factors are characterized by a conserved bHLH domain that mediates specific dimerization. They can facilitate the conversion of inactive monomers to trans-activating dimers at appropriate stages of development. Members of this superfamily can be classified into discrete categories according to dimerization, DNA binding and expression characteristics. SEQ ID NO:1537 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME18275 (SEQ ID NO:1537), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing an HLH domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a CRAL_TRIO domain characteristic of the C-terminal of retinaldehyde/retinal-binding protein family. In animals, retinaldehyde/retinal-binding proteins may be functional components of the visual cycle. Cellular retinaldehyde-binding protein (CRALBP) may function as a substrate carrier protein that modulates interaction of these retinoids with visual cycle enzymes. The multidomain protein Trio can bind the LAR transmembrane tyrosine phosphatase, contains a protein kinase domain, and has separate rac-specific and rho-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor domains. Trio is a multifunctional protein that can integrate and amplify signals involved in coordinating actin remodeling, which is necessary for cell migration and growth. Other members of the family are transfer proteins that include, guanine nucleotide exchange factor that may function as an effector of RAC1, phosphatidylinositol/phosphatidylcholine transfer protein that is required for the transport of secretory proteins from the Golgi complex and alpha-tocopherol transfer protein that enhances the transfer of the ligand between separate membranes.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a CRAL_TRIO_N which defines the N-terminal of retinaldehyde/retinal-binding protein family.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain an EMP24_GP25L domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the emp24/gp25L/p24 family/GOLD gene family. Members of this family are implicated in bringing cargo forward from the ER and binding to coat proteins by their cytoplasmic domains. This domain corresponds closely to the beta-strand rich GOLD domain. The GOLD domain is often found combined with lipid- or membrane-association domains. p24 proteins are major membrane components of COPI- and COPII-coated vesicles and are implicated in cargo selectivity of ER to Golgi transport. Multiple members of the p24 family are found in all eukaryotes, from yeast to mammals. Members of the p24 family are type I membrane proteins with a signal peptide at the amino terminus, a lumenal coiled-coil (extracytosolic) domain, a single transmembrane domain with conserved amino acids, and a short cytoplasmic tail. They may be grouped into at least three subfamilies based on primary sequence. One subfamily comprises yeast Emp24p and mammalian p24A. Another subfamily comprises yeast Erv25p and mammalian Tmp21, and the third subfamily comprises mammalian gp25L proteins. SEQ ID NO:1554 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME18924 (SEQ ID NO:1554), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a CRAL_TRIO domain, a CRAL_TRIO_N domain, and a EMP24 GP25L domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a Pyrophosphatase domain, which is predicted to be characteristic of an inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase). PPase is the enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis of pyrophosphate (PPi) which is formed principally as the product of the many biosynthetic reactions that utilize ATP. PPases may require the presence of divalent metal cations, with magnesium conferring the highest activity. Among other residues, a lysine has been postulated to be part of or close to the active site. The sequences of PPases share some regions of similarities, among which is a region that contains three conserved aspartates that are involved in the binding of cations. SEQ ID NO:1577 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME19182 (SEQ ID NO:1577), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a Pyrophosphatase domain.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can contain a bZIP_1 domain characteristic of polypeptides belonging to the superfamily of basic ZIP transcription factors. Members of the eukaryotic bZIP transcription factor superfamily contain a basic region mediating sequence-specific DNA-binding followed by a leucine zipper region required for dimerization. SEQ ID NO: 1437 sets forth the amino acid sequence of an Arabidopsis clone, identified herein as Ceres ME20628 (SEQ ID NO: 1437), that is predicted to encode a polypeptide containing a bZIP_1 domain.

B. Functional Homologs Identified by Reciprocal BLAST

In some embodiments, one or more functional homologs of a reference low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide defined by one or more of the Pfam descriptions indicated above are suitable for use as low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides. A functional homolog is a polypeptide that has sequence similarity to a reference polypeptide, and that carries out one or more of the biochemical or physiological function(s) of the reference polypeptide. A functional homolog and the reference polypeptide may be natural occurring polypeptides, and the sequence similarity may be due to convergent or divergent evolutionary events. As such, functional homologs are sometimes designated in the literature as homologs, or orthologs, or paralogs. Variants of a naturally occurring functional homolog, such as polypeptides encoded by mutants of a wild type coding sequence, may themselves be functional homologs. Functional homologs can also be created via site-directed mutagenesis of the coding sequence for a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide, or by combining domains from the coding sequences for different naturally-occurring low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides (“domain swapping”). The term “functional homolog” is sometimes applied to the nucleic acid that encodes a functionally homologous polypeptide.

Functional homologs can be identified by analysis of nucleotide and polypeptide sequence alignments. For example, performing a query on a database of nucleotide or polypeptide sequences can identify homologs of low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides. Sequence analysis can involve BLAST, Reciprocal BLAST, or PSI-BLAST analysis of nonredundant databases using a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide amino acid sequence as the reference sequence. Amino acid sequence is, in some instances, deduced from the nucleotide sequence. Those polypeptides in the database that have greater than 20% sequence identity are candidates for further evaluation for suitability as a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide. Amino acid sequence similarity allows for conservative amino acid substitutions, such as substitution of one hydrophobic residue for another or substitution of one polar residue for another. If desired, manual inspection of such candidates can be carried out in order to narrow the number of candidates to be further evaluated. Manual inspection can be performed by selecting those candidates that appear to have domains present in low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides, e.g., conserved functional domains.

Conserved regions can be identified by locating a region within the primary amino acid sequence of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide that is a repeated sequence, forms some secondary structure (e.g., helices and beta sheets), establishes positively or negatively charged domains, or represents a protein motif or domain. See, e.g., the Pfam web site describing consensus sequences for a variety of protein motifs and domains available on the World Wide Web. A description of the information included at the Pfam database is described in Sonnhammer et al. (1998) Nucl. Acids Res., 26:320-322; Sonnhammer et al. (1997) Proteins, 28:405-420; and Bateman et al. (1999) Nucl. Acids Res., 27:260-262. Conserved regions also can be determined by aligning sequences of the same or related polypeptides from closely related species. Closely related species preferably are from the same family. In some embodiments, alignment of sequences from two different species is adequate.

Typically, polypeptides that exhibit at least about 40% amino acid sequence identity are useful to identify conserved regions. Conserved regions of related polypeptides exhibit at least 20% amino acid sequence identity (e.g., at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, or at least 90% amino acid sequence identity). In some embodiments, a conserved region exhibits at least 92%, 94%, 96%, 98%, or 99% amino acid sequence identity.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:3 are provided in FIG. 1 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:46, and SEQ ID NO:47. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:3 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:49 are provided in FIG. 2 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:51, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:55, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:63, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:65, SEQ ID NO:67, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:73, and SEQ ID NO:75. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:49 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:49.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:77 are provided in FIG. 3 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:85, SEQ ID NO:87, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:93, SEQ ID NO:95, and CeresAnnot:839064 (SEQ ID NO:1479). In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:77 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:77.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:100 are provided in FIG. 4 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:101, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:111, SEQ ID NO:113, SEQ ID NO:115, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:117, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:119, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:121, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:123, SEQ ID NO:125, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:129, SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:131, SEQ ID NO:132, SEQ ID NO:133, SEQ ID NO:134, SEQ ID NO:135, SEQ ID NO:137, SEQ ID NO:139, SEQ ID NO:141, SEQ ID NO:142, SEQ ID NO:144, SEQ ID NO:145, SEQ ID NO:146, SEQ ID NO:147, SEQ ID NO:148, SEQ ID NO:149, and SEQ ID NO:150. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:100 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:100.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:152 are provided in FIG. 5 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:154, SEQ ID NO:156, SEQ ID NO:158, SEQ ID NO:160, SEQ ID NO:162, and SEQ ID NO:164. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:152 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:152.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:166 are provided in FIG. 6 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:168, SEQ ID NO:170, SEQ ID NO:172, SEQ ID NO:174, SEQ ID NO:177, SEQ ID NO:179, SEQ ID NO:181, SEQ ID NO:182, SEQ ID NO:183, and SEQ ID NO:184. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:166 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:166.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:186 are provided in FIG. 7 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:188, SEQ ID NO:190, SEQ ID NO:191, SEQ ID NO:193, SEQ ID NO:194, SEQ ID NO:196, SEQ ID NO:197, SEQ ID NO:199, SEQ ID NO:201, SEQ ID NO:203, SEQ ID NO:204, SEQ ID NO:205, and SEQ ID NO:206. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:186 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:186.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:208 are provided in FIG. 8 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:209, SEQ ID NO:210, SEQ ID NO:214, and SEQ ID NO:216. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:208 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:208.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:218 are provided in FIG. 9 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:220, SEQ ID NO:222, SEQ ID NO:223, SEQ ID NO:225, SEQ ID NO:227, SEQ ID NO:229, SEQ ID NO:230, SEQ ID NO:231, SEQ ID NO:232, SEQ ID NO:1039, SEQ ID NO:1049, and SEQ ID NO:1052. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:218 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:218.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:234 are provided in FIG. 10 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:236, SEQ ID NO:238, SEQ ID NO:239, SEQ ID NO:241, SEQ ID NO:242, SEQ ID NO:243, and SEQ ID NO:244. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:234 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:234.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:246 are provided in FIG. 11 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:248, SEQ ID NO:249, SEQ ID NO:251, SEQ ID NO:253, SEQ ID NO:255, SEQ ID NO:257, SEQ ID NO:259, SEQ ID NO:260, SEQ ID NO:262, SEQ ID NO:264, SEQ ID NO:265, SEQ ID NO:267, SEQ ID NO:268, SEQ ID NO:270, SEQ ID NO:272, SEQ ID NO:274, SEQ ID NO:276, SEQ ID NO:277, SEQ ID NO:279, SEQ ID NO:281, SEQ ID NO:283, SEQ ID NO:285, SEQ ID NO:286, SEQ ID NO:287, SEQ ID NO:288, SEQ ID NO:290, SEQ ID NO:291, SEQ ID NO:292, SEQ ID NO:293, SEQ ID NO:296, and SEQ ID NO:298. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:246 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:246.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:300 are provided in FIG. 12 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:302, SEQ ID NO:304, SEQ ID NO:306, SEQ ID NO:308, SEQ ID NO:310, SEQ ID NO:312, SEQ ID NO:314, SEQ ID NO:316, SEQ ID NO:318, SEQ ID NO:319, SEQ ID NO:320, SEQ ID NO:321, SEQ ID NO:322, SEQ ID NO:323, SEQ ID NO:325, SEQ ID NO:327, and SEQ ID NO:329. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:300 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:300.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:332 are provided in FIG. 13 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:332, SEQ ID NO:334, SEQ ID NO:335, SEQ ID NO:336, SEQ ID NO:338, SEQ ID NO:339, SEQ ID NO:341, SEQ ID NO:342, SEQ ID NO:343, SEQ ID NO:344, SEQ ID NO:345, SEQ ID NO:346, SEQ ID NO:347, SEQ ID NO:348, SEQ ID NO:349, SEQ ID NO:351, SEQ ID NO:352, SEQ ID NO:353, SEQ ID NO:354, SEQ ID NO:355, SEQ ID NO:356, SEQ ID NO:357, SEQ ID NO:358, SEQ ID NO:359, SEQ ID NO:360, SEQ ID NO:362, SEQ ID NO:363, SEQ ID NO:364, SEQ ID NO:365, SEQ ID NO:366, SEQ ID NO:2541, SEQ ID NO:2542, SEQ ID NO:2543, SEQ ID NO:2544, SEQ ID NO:2546, SEQ ID NO:2548, SEQ ID NO:2549, SEQ ID NO:2550, SEQ ID NO:2551, SEQ ID NO:2552, and SEQ ID NO:2553. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:332 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:332.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:368 are provided in FIG. 14 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:369, SEQ ID NO:370, SEQ ID NO:371, SEQ ID NO:372, SEQ ID NO:373, SEQ ID NO:374, SEQ ID NO:376, SEQ ID NO:378, SEQ ID NO:380, SEQ ID NO:382, SEQ ID NO:384, SEQ ID NO:386, SEQ ID NO:388, SEQ ID NO:390, SEQ ID NO:392, SEQ ID NO:394, SEQ ID NO:396, SEQ ID NO:398, SEQ ID NO:399, SEQ ID NO:401, SEQ ID NO:403, SEQ ID NO:404, SEQ ID NO:406, SEQ ID NO:408, SEQ ID NO:410, SEQ ID NO:412, SEQ ID NO:414, SEQ ID NO:416, SEQ ID NO:418, SEQ ID NO:419, SEQ ID NO:420, SEQ ID NO:422, SEQ ID NO:423, SEQ ID NO:425, SEQ ID NO:427, SEQ ID NO:428, SEQ ID NO:430, SEQ ID NO:432, SEQ ID NO:433, SEQ ID NO:434, SEQ ID NO:435, SEQ ID NO:436, SEQ ID NO:437, SEQ ID NO:438, SEQ ID NO:439, SEQ ID NO:440, SEQ ID NO:441, SEQ ID NO:444, SEQ ID NO:445, SEQ ID NO:446, SEQ ID NO:447, SEQ ID NO:448, SEQ ID NO:449, SEQ ID NO:450, SEQ ID NO:451, SEQ ID NO:452, SEQ ID NO:453, SEQ ID NO:454, SEQ ID NO:455, SEQ ID NO:456, SEQ ID NO:458, SEQ ID NO:459, SEQ ID NO:461, SEQ ID NO:463, SEQ ID NO:465, SEQ ID NO:467, SEQ ID NO:469, SEQ ID NO:471, SEQ ID NO:473, SEQ ID NO:474, SEQ ID NO:475, SEQ ID NO:477, SEQ ID NO:479, SEQ ID NO:481, SEQ ID NO:483, SEQ ID NO:485, SEQ ID NO:487, SEQ ID NO:488, SEQ ID NO:489, SEQ ID NO:490, SEQ ID NO:491, SEQ ID NO:492, SEQ ID NO:494, SEQ ID NO:495, SEQ ID NO:496, SEQ ID NO:497, SEQ ID NO:498, SEQ ID NO:499, SEQ ID NO:500, SEQ ID NO:501, SEQ ID NO:502, SEQ ID NO:504, SEQ ID NO:505, SEQ ID NO:506, SEQ ID NO:507, and SEQ ID NO:508. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:368 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:368.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:510 are provided in FIG. 15 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:511, SEQ ID NO:513, SEQ ID NO:515, SEQ ID NO:517, SEQ ID NO:521, SEQ ID NO:523, SEQ ID NO:525, SEQ ID NO:527, SEQ ID NO:529, SEQ ID NO:530, and SEQ ID NO:531. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:510 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:510.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:533 are provided in FIG. 16 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:535, SEQ ID NO:536, SEQ ID NO:538, SEQ ID NO:539, SEQ ID NO:541, SEQ ID NO:542, SEQ ID NO:543, SEQ ID NO:544, SEQ ID NO:545, SEQ ID NO:546, SEQ ID NO:547, SEQ ID NO:548, SEQ ID NO:550, SEQ ID NO:552, SEQ ID NO:553, and SEQ ID NO:554. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:533 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:533.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:558 are provided in FIG. 17 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:559, SEQ ID NO:560, SEQ ID NO:561, SEQ ID NO:562, SEQ ID NO:563, SEQ ID NO:564, SEQ ID NO:565, SEQ ID NO:566, SEQ ID NO:567, SEQ ID NO:569, SEQ ID NO:571, SEQ ID NO:572, SEQ ID NO:573, SEQ ID NO:575, SEQ ID NO:576, SEQ ID NO:577, SEQ ID NO:578, SEQ ID NO:579, SEQ ID NO:581, SEQ ID NO:583, SEQ ID NO:584, SEQ ID NO:585, SEQ ID NO:586, SEQ ID NO:588, SEQ ID NO:589, SEQ ID NO:590, and SEQ ID NO:591. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:558 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:558.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:593 are provided in FIG. 18 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:595, SEQ ID NO:597, SEQ ID NO:599, SEQ ID NO:601, SEQ ID NO:603, SEQ ID NO:605, SEQ ID NO:607, SEQ ID NO:609, SEQ ID NO:610, and SEQ ID NO:611. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:593 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:593.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:613 are provided in FIG. 19 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:615, SEQ ID NO:617, SEQ ID NO:618, SEQ ID NO:620, SEQ ID NO:622, SEQ ID NO:624, SEQ ID NO:626, SEQ ID NO:628, SEQ ID NO:630, SEQ ID NO:632, SEQ ID NO:634, SEQ ID NO:636, SEQ ID NO:638, SEQ ID NO:640, SEQ ID NO:642, SEQ ID NO:643, and SEQ ID NO:644. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:613 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:613.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:646 are provided in FIG. 20 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:648, SEQ ID NO:650, SEQ ID NO:652, SEQ ID NO:654, SEQ ID NO:656, SEQ ID NO:658, SEQ ID NO:660, SEQ ID NO:662, SEQ ID NO:664, SEQ ID NO:666, SEQ ID NO:668, SEQ ID NO:670, SEQ ID NO:672, SEQ ID NO:674, SEQ ID NO:676, SEQ ID NO:678, SEQ ID NO:679, SEQ ID NO:680, SEQ ID NO:681, SEQ ID NO:682, SEQ ID NO:683, and SEQ ID NO:685. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:646 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:646.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:687 are provided in FIG. 21 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:689, SEQ ID NO:691, SEQ ID NO:693, SEQ ID NO:694, SEQ ID NO:696, SEQ ID NO:697, SEQ ID NO:699, SEQ ID NO:701, SEQ ID NO:703, SEQ ID NO:705, SEQ ID NO:706, SEQ ID NO:708, SEQ ID NO:710, SEQ ID NO:712, SEQ ID NO:714, SEQ ID NO:716, SEQ ID NO:718, SEQ ID NO:720, SEQ ID NO:721, SEQ ID NO:722, SEQ ID NO:723, SEQ ID NO:724, SEQ ID NO:725, SEQ ID NO:726, SEQ ID NO:727, and SEQ ID NO:728. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:687 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:687.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:730 are provided in FIG. 22 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:732, SEQ ID NO:733, SEQ ID NO:735, SEQ ID NO:737, SEQ ID NO:738, and SEQ ID NO:742. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:730 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:730.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:746 are provided in FIG. 23 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:748, SEQ ID NO:750, SEQ ID NO:751, SEQ ID NO:753, SEQ ID NO:755, SEQ ID NO:757, SEQ ID NO:758, SEQ ID NO:760, SEQ ID NO:761, SEQ ID NO:762, SEQ ID NO:763, SEQ ID NO:765, and SEQ ID NO:767. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:746 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:746.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:769 are provided in FIG. 24 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:771, SEQ ID NO:773, SEQ ID NO:775, SEQ ID NO:777, SEQ ID NO:779, SEQ ID NO:781, SEQ ID NO:783, SEQ ID NO:785, SEQ ID NO:787, SEQ ID NO:789, and SEQ ID NO:790. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:769 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:769.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:792 are provided in FIG. 25 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:794, SEQ ID NO:796, SEQ ID NO:798, SEQ ID NO:799, SEQ ID NO:801, SEQ ID NO:803, SEQ ID NO:805, SEQ ID NO:807, SEQ ID NO:808, SEQ ID NO:810, SEQ ID NO:812, SEQ ID NO:814, SEQ ID NO:816, SEQ ID NO:818, SEQ ID NO:819, SEQ ID NO:820, SEQ ID NO:821, and SEQ ID NO:822. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:792 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:792.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:824 are provided in FIG. 26 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include, but not limited to, SEQ ID NO:826, SEQ ID NO:1696, SEQ ID NO:1698, SEQ ID NO:1700, SEQ ID NO:1702, SEQ ID NO:1704, SEQ ID NO:1706, SEQ ID NO:1708, SEQ ID NO:1710, SEQ ID NO:1711, SEQ ID NO:1713, SEQ ID NO:1714, SEQ ID NO:1715, and SEQ ID NO:1716. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:824 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:824.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:828 are provided in FIG. 27 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:830, SEQ ID NO:832, SEQ ID NO:834, SEQ ID NO:836, SEQ ID NO:837, SEQ ID NO:838, SEQ ID NO:839, SEQ ID NO:840, SEQ ID NO:842, SEQ ID NO:844, SEQ ID NO:845, SEQ ID NO:846, SEQ ID NO:847, SEQ ID NO:848, SEQ ID NO:849, SEQ ID NO:850, and SEQ ID NO:851. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:828 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:828.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:855 are provided in FIG. 28 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:856, SEQ ID NO:858, SEQ ID NO:860, SEQ ID NO:862, SEQ ID NO:864, SEQ ID NO:866, SEQ ID NO:868, SEQ ID NO:870, SEQ ID NO:872, SEQ ID NO:874, SEQ ID NO:876, SEQ ID NO:878, SEQ ID NO:880, SEQ ID NO:882, SEQ ID NO:884, SEQ ID NO:885, SEQ ID NO:886, SEQ ID NO:887, SEQ ID NO:888, and SEQ ID NO:889. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:855 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:855.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:891 are provided in FIG. 29 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:893, SEQ ID NO:894, SEQ ID NO:895, SEQ ID NO:896, SEQ ID NO:898, SEQ ID NO:900, SEQ ID NO:901, SEQ ID NO:902, SEQ ID NO:903, SEQ ID NO:904, SEQ ID NO:905, SEQ ID NO:907, SEQ ID NO:908, SEQ ID NO:909, SEQ ID NO:910, SEQ ID NO:911, SEQ ID NO:912, SEQ ID NO:913, SEQ ID NO:914, and SEQ ID NO:915. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:891 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:891.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:917 are provided in FIG. 30 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:919, SEQ ID NO:921, SEQ ID NO:923, SEQ ID NO:925, SEQ ID NO:927, SEQ ID NO:929, SEQ ID NO:931, SEQ ID NO:933, SEQ ID NO:935, SEQ ID NO:937, SEQ ID NO:939, and SEQ ID NO:940. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:917 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:917.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:944 are provided in FIG. 31 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:946, SEQ ID NO:947, SEQ ID NO:948, SEQ ID NO:950, SEQ ID NO:952, SEQ ID NO:954, SEQ ID NO:956, SEQ ID NO:958, SEQ ID NO:960, SEQ ID NO:962, SEQ ID NO:964, SEQ ID NO:966, SEQ ID NO:967, SEQ ID NO:968, SEQ ID NO:969, SEQ ID NO:970, SEQ ID NO:972, and SEQ ID NO:974. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:944 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:944.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:976 are provided in FIG. 32 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include, but not limited to, SEQ ID NO:978 and SEQ ID NO:980. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:976 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:976.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:982 are provided in FIG. 33 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:984, SEQ ID NO:985, SEQ ID NO:986, SEQ ID NO:987, SEQ ID NO:988, SEQ ID NO:989, SEQ ID NO:990, SEQ ID NO:991, SEQ ID NO:992, SEQ ID NO:993, SEQ ID NO:995, SEQ ID NO:996, SEQ ID NO:998, SEQ ID NO:1000, SEQ ID NO:1001, SEQ ID NO:1003, SEQ ID NO:1005, SEQ ID NO:1007, SEQ ID NO:1008, SEQ ID NO:1009, SEQ ID NO:1011, SEQ ID NO:1013, SEQ ID NO:1015, SEQ ID NO:1016, SEQ ID NO:1018, SEQ ID NO:1019, SEQ ID NO:1021, SEQ ID NO:1023, SEQ ID NO:1025, SEQ ID NO:1026, SEQ ID NO:1027, SEQ ID NO:1028, SEQ ID NO:1029, SEQ ID NO:1030, SEQ ID NO:1031, SEQ ID NO:1032, and SEQ ID NO:1033. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:982 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:982.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1054 are provided in FIG. 34 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1055, SEQ ID NO:1057, SEQ ID NO:1058, SEQ ID NO:1059, SEQ ID NO:1061, SEQ ID NO:1063, SEQ ID NO:1065, SEQ ID NO:1067, SEQ ID NO:1068, SEQ ID NO:1070, SEQ ID NO:1071, SEQ ID NO:1072, SEQ ID NO:1074, SEQ ID NO:1075, SEQ ID NO:1076, SEQ ID NO:1077, SEQ ID NO:1078, SEQ ID NO:1080, SEQ ID NO:1082, SEQ ID NO:1083, SEQ ID NO:1085, SEQ ID NO:1086, SEQ ID NO:1087, SEQ ID NO:1088, SEQ ID NO:1089, SEQ ID NO:1090, SEQ ID NO:1091, SEQ ID NO:1092, SEQ ID NO:1093, SEQ ID NO:1094, SEQ ID NO:1095, and SEQ ID NO:1097. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1054 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1054.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1099 are provided in FIG. 35 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1101, SEQ ID NO:1103, SEQ ID NO:1104, SEQ ID NO:1105, SEQ ID NO:1106, SEQ ID NO:1108, SEQ ID NO:1109, and SEQ ID NO:1110. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1099 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1099.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1112 are provided in FIG. 36 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1113 and SEQ ID NO:1114. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1112 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1112.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1116 are provided in FIG. 37 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1118, SEQ ID NO:1120, SEQ ID NO:1122, SEQ ID NO:1123, SEQ ID NO:1125, SEQ ID NO:1126, SEQ ID NO:1128, SEQ ID NO:1129, SEQ ID NO:1131, SEQ ID NO:1132, SEQ ID NO:1133, SEQ ID NO:1134, SEQ ID NO:1136, SEQ ID NO:1138, SEQ ID NO:1140, SEQ ID NO:1141, SEQ ID NO:1142, SEQ ID NO:1143, SEQ ID NO:1144, SEQ ID NO:1145, SEQ ID NO:1147, SEQ ID NO:1149, SEQ ID NO:1151, SEQ ID NO:1153, and SEQ ID NO:1155. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1116 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1116.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1159 are provided in FIG. 38 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1161, SEQ ID NO:1162, SEQ ID NO:1163, and SEQ ID NO:1164. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1159 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1159.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1166 are provided in FIG. 39 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1167, SEQ ID NO:1169, SEQ ID NO:1171, SEQ ID NO:1173, SEQ ID NO:1175, SEQ ID NO:1177, SEQ ID NO:1179, SEQ ID NO:1180, SEQ ID NO:1182, and SEQ ID NO:1183. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1166 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1166.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1185 are provided in FIG. 40 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1187, SEQ ID NO:1189, SEQ ID NO:1190, SEQ ID NO:1191, and SEQ ID NO:1192. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1185 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1185.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1194 are provided in FIG. 41 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1196, SEQ ID NO:1198, SEQ ID NO:1200, SEQ ID NO:1202, SEQ ID NO:1203, SEQ ID NO:1204, SEQ ID NO:1205, SEQ ID NO:1206, SEQ ID NO:1207, and SEQ ID NO:1208. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1194 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1194.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1210 are provided in FIG. 42 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1211, SEQ ID NO:1213, SEQ ID NO:1215, SEQ ID NO:1216, SEQ ID NO:1218, SEQ ID NO:1220, SEQ ID NO:1222, SEQ ID NO:1224, SEQ ID NO:1226, SEQ ID NO:1228, SEQ ID NO:1229, SEQ ID NO:1230, SEQ ID NO:1232, SEQ ID NO:1233, SEQ ID NO:1234, SEQ ID NO:1235, SEQ ID NO:1236, SEQ ID NO:1237, SEQ ID NO:1238, SEQ ID NO:1239, SEQ ID NO:1240, SEQ ID NO:1241, SEQ ID NO:1242, SEQ ID NO:1243, SEQ ID NO:1244, SEQ ID NO:1245, SEQ ID NO:1246, SEQ ID NO:1247, SEQ ID NO:1248, SEQ ID NO:1249, SEQ ID NO:1251, SEQ ID NO:1253, SEQ ID NO:1255, SEQ ID NO:1257, SEQ ID NO:1259, SEQ ID NO:1261, SEQ ID NO:1263, SEQ ID NO:1264, SEQ ID NO:1265, SEQ ID NO:1266, SEQ ID NO:1267, SEQ ID NO:1268, SEQ ID NO:1269, SEQ ID NO:1270, SEQ ID NO:1271, and SEQ ID NO:1272. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1210 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1210.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1274 are provided in FIG. 43 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1276, SEQ ID NO:1278, SEQ ID NO:1280, SEQ ID NO:1281, SEQ ID NO:1282, SEQ ID NO:1284, SEQ ID NO:1285, SEQ ID NO:1287, SEQ ID NO:1289, SEQ ID NO:1291, SEQ ID NO:1293, SEQ ID NO:1294, SEQ ID NO:1295, SEQ ID NO:1296, SEQ ID NO:1297, SEQ ID NO:1298, and SEQ ID NO:1300. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1274 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1274.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1302 are provided in FIG. 44 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1303, SEQ ID NO:1305, SEQ ID NO:1307, SEQ ID NO:1309, SEQ ID NO:1311, SEQ ID NO:1312, SEQ ID NO:1313, SEQ ID NO:1314, SEQ ID NO:1315, SEQ ID NO:1317, SEQ ID NO:1318, SEQ ID NO:1319, SEQ ID NO:1320, SEQ ID NO:1321, SEQ ID NO:1322, SEQ ID NO:1323, SEQ ID NO:1324, SEQ ID NO:1325, SEQ ID NO:1326, SEQ ID NO:1327, SEQ ID NO:1328, SEQ ID NO:1330, SEQ ID NO:1331, SEQ ID NO:1333, SEQ ID NO:1334, SEQ ID NO:1335, SEQ ID NO:1336, SEQ ID NO:1337, SEQ ID NO:1338, SEQ ID NO:1339, and SEQ ID NO:1340. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1302 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1302.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1342 are provided in FIG. 45 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1344, SEQ ID NO:1346, SEQ ID NO:1348, SEQ ID NO:1350, SEQ ID NO:1352, SEQ ID NO:1354, SEQ ID NO:1355, SEQ ID NO:1357, SEQ ID NO:1358, SEQ ID NO:1360, SEQ ID NO:1361, SEQ ID NO:1362, SEQ ID NO:1363, SEQ ID NO:1364, SEQ ID NO:1366, SEQ ID NO:1367, SEQ ID NO:1369, SEQ ID NO:1370, SEQ ID NO:1371, SEQ ID NO:1372, SEQ ID NO:1373, SEQ ID NO:1374, SEQ ID NO:1375, SEQ ID NO:1376, SEQ ID NO:1377, SEQ ID NO:1378, SEQ ID NO:1379, SEQ ID NO:1380, SEQ ID NO:1381, SEQ ID NO:1382, and SEQ ID NO:1383. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1342 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1342.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1385 are provided in FIG. 46 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1387, SEQ ID NO:1389, SEQ ID NO:1390, SEQ ID NO:1391, SEQ ID NO:1393, SEQ ID NO:1394, SEQ ID NO:1395, SEQ ID NO:1396, SEQ ID NO:1398, SEQ ID NO:1400, SEQ ID NO:1401, SEQ ID NO:1402, SEQ ID NO:1403, SEQ ID NO:1404, SEQ ID NO:1405, and SEQ ID NO:1407. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1385 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1385.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1409 are provided in FIG. 47 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1411, SEQ ID NO:1413, SEQ ID NO:1415, SEQ ID NO:1417, SEQ ID NO:1418, SEQ ID NO:1419, SEQ ID NO:1421, SEQ ID NO:1423, SEQ ID NO:1424, SEQ ID NO:1425, and SEQ ID NO:1426. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1409 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1409.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1428 are provided in FIG. 48 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1430, SEQ ID NO:1432, SEQ ID NO:1434, SEQ ID NO:1436, SEQ ID NO:1439, SEQ ID NO:1442, SEQ ID NO:1444, SEQ ID NO:1446, SEQ ID NO:1448, SEQ ID NO:1450, SEQ ID NO:1452, SEQ ID NO:1453, SEQ ID NO:1454, SEQ ID NO:1455, SEQ ID NO:1456, SEQ ID NO:1457, SEQ ID NO:1458, and SEQ ID NO:1459. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1428 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1428.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1463 are provided in FIG. 49 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1465, SEQ ID NO:1467, SEQ ID NO:1469, SEQ ID NO:1471, SEQ ID NO:1473, SEQ ID NO:1474, SEQ ID NO:1475, SEQ ID NO:1476, and SEQ ID NO:1477. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1463 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1463.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1491 are provided in FIG. 50 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1493, SEQ ID NO:1495, SEQ ID NO:1497, SEQ ID NO:1499, SEQ ID NO:1501, SEQ ID NO:1503, SEQ ID NO:1504, SEQ ID NO:1505, SEQ ID NO:1506, and SEQ ID NO:1508. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1491 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1491.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1510 are provided in FIG. 51 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1512, SEQ ID NO:1514, SEQ ID NO:1516, SEQ ID NO:1518, SEQ ID NO:1520, SEQ ID NO:1522, and SEQ ID NO:1523. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1510 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1510.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1525 are provided in FIG. 52 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1527, SEQ ID NO:1529, SEQ ID NO:1530, SEQ ID NO:1532, SEQ ID NO:1534, and SEQ ID NO:1535. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1525 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1525.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1537 are provided in FIG. 53 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1539, SEQ ID NO:1540, SEQ ID NO:1541, SEQ ID NO:1543, SEQ ID NO:1545, SEQ ID NO:1547, SEQ ID NO:1548, SEQ ID NO:1550, SEQ ID NO:1552, SEQ ID NO:2386, SEQ ID NO:2388, SEQ ID NO:2390, SEQ ID NO:2391, and SEQ ID NO:2392. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1537 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1537.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1554 are provided in FIG. 54 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1555, SEQ ID NO:1557, SEQ ID NO:1559, SEQ ID NO:1561, SEQ ID NO:1563, SEQ ID NO:1565, SEQ ID NO:1567, SEQ ID NO:1569, SEQ ID NO:1571, SEQ ID NO:1572, SEQ ID NO:1573, SEQ ID NO:1574, and SEQ ID NO:1575. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1554 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1554.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1577 are provided in FIG. 55 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:1035, SEQ ID NO:1036, SEQ ID NO:1037, SEQ ID NO:1040, SEQ ID NO:1041, SEQ ID NO:1043, SEQ ID NO:1044, SEQ ID NO:1046, SEQ ID NO:1047, SEQ ID NO:1048, SEQ ID NO:1050, SEQ ID NO:1440, SEQ ID NO:1480, SEQ ID NO:1481, SEQ ID NO:1482, SEQ ID NO:1483, SEQ ID NO:1484, SEQ ID NO:1485, SEQ ID NO:1486, SEQ ID NO:1487, SEQ ID NO:1488, SEQ ID NO:1578, SEQ ID NO:1580, SEQ ID NO:1582, SEQ ID NO:1584, SEQ ID NO:1586, SEQ ID NO:1588, SEQ ID NO:1590, SEQ ID NO:1592, SEQ ID NO:1594, SEQ ID NO:1596, SEQ ID NO:1598, SEQ ID NO:1599, SEQ ID NO:1601, SEQ ID NO:1602, SEQ ID NO:1605, SEQ ID NO:1607, SEQ ID NO:1608, SEQ ID NO:1609, SEQ ID NO:1611, SEQ ID NO:1613, SEQ ID NO:1615, SEQ ID NO:1617, SEQ ID NO:1619, SEQ ID NO:1621, SEQ ID NO:1622, SEQ ID NO:1623, SEQ ID NO:1624, SEQ ID NO:1625, SEQ ID NO:1627, SEQ ID NO:1629, SEQ ID NO:1631, SEQ ID NO:1633, SEQ ID NO:1635, SEQ ID NO:1637, SEQ ID NO:1639, SEQ ID NO:1643, SEQ ID NO:1645, SEQ ID NO:1648, SEQ ID NO:1649, SEQ ID NO:1651, and SEQ ID NO:1653. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1577 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1577.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1437 are provided in FIG. 56 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:173, SEQ ID NO:212, SEQ ID NO:361, SEQ ID NO:421, SEQ ID NO:443, SEQ ID NO:740, SEQ ID NO:744, SEQ ID NO:942, and SEQ ID NO:1461. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:1437 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1437.

Examples of amino acid sequences of functional homologs of the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:97 are provided in FIG. 57 and in the Sequence Listing. Such functional homologs include SEQ ID NO:2010, SEQ ID NO:2011, SEQ ID NO:2013, SEQ ID NO:2015, SEQ ID NO:2017. In some cases, a functional homolog of SEQ ID NO:97 has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:97.

The identification of conserved regions in a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide facilitates production of variants of low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides. Variants of low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides typically have 10 or fewer conservative amino acid substitutions within the primary amino acid sequence, e.g., 7 or fewer conservative amino acid substitutions, 5 or fewer conservative amino acid substitutions, or between 1 and 5 conservative substitutions. A useful variant polypeptide can be constructed based on one of the alignments set forth in FIGS. 1-57 and/or homologs identified in the Sequence Listing. Such a polypeptide includes the conserved regions, arranged in the order depicted in the Figure from amino-terminal end to carboxy-terminal end. Such a polypeptide may also include zero, one, or more than one amino acid in positions marked by dashes. When no amino acids are present at positions marked by dashes, the length of such a polypeptide is the sum of the amino acid residues in all conserved regions. When amino acids are present at all positions marked by dashes, such a polypeptide has a length that is the sum of the amino acid residues in all conserved regions and all dashes.

C. Functional Homologs Identified by HMMER

In some embodiments, useful low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides include those that fit a Hidden Markov Model based on the polypeptides set forth in any one of FIGS. 1-57. A Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is a statistical model of a consensus sequence for a group of functional homologs. See, Durbin et al. (1998) Biological Sequence Analysis: Probabilistic Models of Proteins and Nucleic Acids, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. An HMM is generated by the program HMMER 2.3.2 with default program parameters, using the sequences of the group of functional homologs as input. The multiple sequence alignment is generated by ProbCons (Do et al. (2005) Genome Res., 15(2):330-40) version 1.11 using a set of default parameters: -c, —consistency REPS of 2; -ir, —iterative-refinement REPS of 100; -pre, —pre-training REPS of 0. ProbCons is a public domain software program provided by Stanford University.

The default parameters for building an HMM (hmmbuild) are as follows: the default “architecture prior” (archpri) used by MAP architecture construction is 0.85, and the default cutoff threshold (idlevel) used to determine the effective sequence number is 0.62. HMMER 2.3.2 was released Oct. 3, 2003 under a GNU general public license, and is available from various sources available on the World Wide Web. Hmmbuild outputs the model as a text file.

The HMM for a group of functional homologs can be used to determine the likelihood that a candidate low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide sequence is a better fit to that particular HMM than to a null HMM generated using a group of sequences that are not structurally or functionally related. The likelihood that a candidate polypeptide sequence is a better fit to an HMM than to a null HMM is indicated by the HMM bit score, a number generated when the candidate sequence is fitted to the HMM profile using the HMMER hmmsearch program. The following default parameters are used when running hmmsearch: the default E-value cutoff (E) is 10.0, the default bit score cutoff (T) is negative infinity, the default number of sequences in a database (Z) is the real number of sequences in the database, the default E-value cutoff for the per-domain ranked hit list (domE) is infinity, and the default bit score cutoff for the per-domain ranked hit list (domT) is negative infinity. A high HMM bit score indicates a greater likelihood that the candidate sequence carries out one or more of the biochemical or physiological function(s) of the polypeptides used to generate the HMM. A high HMM bit score is at least 20, and often is higher. Slight variations in the HMM bit score of a particular sequence can occur due to factors such as the order in which sequences are processed for alignment by multiple sequence alignment algorithms such as the ProbCons program. Nevertheless, such HMM bit score variation is minor.

The low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides discussed below fit the indicated HMM with an HMM bit score greater than 20 (e.g., greater than 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 200, 300, 400, or 500). In some embodiments, the HMM bit score of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide discussed below is about 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 95% of the HMM bit score of a functional homolog provided the Sequence Listing of this application. In some embodiments, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide discussed below fits the indicated HMM with an HMM bit score greater than 20, and has a domain indicative of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide. In some embodiments, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide discussed below fits the indicated HMM with an HMM bit score greater than 20, and has 70% or greater sequence identity (e.g., 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, or 100% sequence identity) to an amino acid sequence shown in any one of FIGS. 1-57.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 800 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 1 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:46, and SEQ ID NO:47.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 150 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 2 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:51, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:55, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:63, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:65, SEQ ID NO:67, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:73, and SEQ ID NO:75.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 540 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 3 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:85, SEQ ID NO:87, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:93, SEQ ID NO:95, and SEQ ID NO:1479.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 210 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 4 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:101, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:111, SEQ ID NO:113, SEQ ID NO:115, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:117, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:119, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:121, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:123, SEQ ID NO:125, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:129, SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:131, SEQ ID NO:132, SEQ ID NO:133, SEQ ID NO:134, SEQ ID NO:135, SEQ ID NO:137, SEQ ID NO:139, SEQ ID NO:141, SEQ ID NO:142, SEQ ID NO:144, SEQ ID NO:145, SEQ ID NO:146, SEQ ID NO:147, SEQ ID NO:148, SEQ ID NO:149, and SEQ ID NO:150.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 90 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 5 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:152, SEQ ID NO:154, SEQ ID NO:156, SEQ ID NO:158, SEQ ID NO:160, SEQ ID NO:162, and SEQ ID NO:164.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 230 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 6 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:166, SEQ ID NO:168, SEQ ID NO:170, SEQ ID NO:172, SEQ ID NO:174, SEQ ID NO:177, SEQ ID NO:179, SEQ ID NO:181, SEQ ID NO:182, SEQ ID NO:183, and SEQ ID NO:184.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 90 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 7 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:186, SEQ ID NO:188, SEQ ID NO:190, SEQ ID NO:191, SEQ ID NO:193, SEQ ID NO:194, SEQ ID NO:196, SEQ ID NO:197, SEQ ID NO:199, SEQ ID NO:201, SEQ ID NO:203, SEQ ID NO:204, SEQ ID NO:205, and SEQ ID NO:206.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 380 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 8 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:208, SEQ ID NO:209, SEQ ID NO:210, SEQ ID NO:214, and SEQ ID NO:216.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 110 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 9 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:218, SEQ ID NO:220, SEQ ID NO:222, SEQ ID NO:223, SEQ ID NO:225, SEQ ID NO:227, SEQ ID NO:229, SEQ ID NO:230, SEQ ID NO:231, SEQ ID NO:232, SEQ ID NO:1039, SEQ ID NO:1049, and SEQ ID NO:1052.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 220 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 10 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:234, SEQ ID NO:236, SEQ ID NO:238, SEQ ID NO:239, SEQ ID NO:241, SEQ ID NO:242, SEQ ID NO:243, and SEQ ID NO:244.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 150 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 11 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:246, SEQ ID NO:248, SEQ ID NO:249, SEQ ID NO:251, SEQ ID NO:253, SEQ ID NO:255, SEQ ID NO:257, SEQ ID NO:259, SEQ ID NO:260, SEQ ID NO:262, SEQ ID NO:264, SEQ ID NO:265, SEQ ID NO:267, SEQ ID NO:268, SEQ ID NO:270, SEQ ID NO:272, SEQ ID NO:274, SEQ ID NO:276, SEQ ID NO:277, SEQ ID NO:279, SEQ ID NO:281, SEQ ID NO:283, SEQ ID NO:285, SEQ ID NO:286, SEQ ID NO:287, SEQ ID NO:288, SEQ ID NO:290, SEQ ID NO:291, SEQ ID NO:292, SEQ ID NO:293, SEQ ID NO:296, and SEQ ID NO:298.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 950 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 12 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:300, SEQ ID NO:302, SEQ ID NO:304, SEQ ID NO:306, SEQ ID NO:308, SEQ ID NO:310, SEQ ID NO:312, SEQ ID NO:314, SEQ ID NO:316, SEQ ID NO:318, SEQ ID NO:319, SEQ ID NO:320, SEQ ID NO:321, SEQ ID NO:322, SEQ ID NO:323, SEQ ID NO:325, SEQ ID NO:327, and SEQ ID NO:329.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 460 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 13 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:332, SEQ ID NO:334, SEQ ID NO:335, SEQ ID NO:336, SEQ ID NO:338, SEQ ID NO:339, SEQ ID NO:341, SEQ ID NO:342, SEQ ID NO:343, SEQ ID NO:344, SEQ ID NO:345, SEQ ID NO:346, SEQ ID NO:347, SEQ ID NO:348, SEQ ID NO:349, SEQ ID NO:351, SEQ ID NO:352, SEQ ID NO:353, SEQ ID NO:354, SEQ ID NO:355, SEQ ID NO:356, SEQ ID NO:357, SEQ ID NO:358, SEQ ID NO:359, SEQ ID NO:360, SEQ ID NO:362, SEQ ID NO:363, SEQ ID NO:364, SEQ ID NO:365, SEQ ID NO:366, SEQ ID NO:2541, SEQ ID NO:2542, SEQ ID NO:2543, SEQ ID NO:2544, SEQ ID NO:2546, SEQ ID NO:2548, SEQ ID NO:2549, SEQ ID NO:2550, SEQ ID NO:2551, SEQ ID NO:2552, and SEQ ID NO:2553.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 150 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 14 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:368, SEQ ID NO:369, SEQ ID NO:370, SEQ ID NO:371, SEQ ID NO:372, SEQ ID NO:373, SEQ ID NO:374, SEQ ID NO:376, SEQ ID NO:378, SEQ ID NO:380, SEQ ID NO:382, SEQ ID NO:384, SEQ ID NO:386, SEQ ID NO:388, SEQ ID NO:390, SEQ ID NO:392, SEQ ID NO:394, SEQ ID NO:396, SEQ ID NO:398, SEQ ID NO:399, SEQ ID NO:401, SEQ ID NO:403, SEQ ID NO:404, SEQ ID NO:406, SEQ ID NO:408, SEQ ID NO:410, SEQ ID NO:412, SEQ ID NO:414, SEQ ID NO:416, SEQ ID NO:418, SEQ ID NO:419, SEQ ID NO:420, SEQ ID NO:422, SEQ ID NO:423, SEQ ID NO:425, SEQ ID NO:427, SEQ ID NO:428, SEQ ID NO:430, SEQ ID NO:432, SEQ ID NO:433, SEQ ID NO:434, SEQ ID NO:435, SEQ ID NO:436, SEQ ID NO:437, SEQ ID NO:438, SEQ ID NO:439, SEQ ID NO:440, SEQ ID NO:441, SEQ ID NO:444, SEQ ID NO:445, SEQ ID NO:446, SEQ ID NO:447, SEQ ID NO:448, SEQ ID NO:449, SEQ ID NO:450, SEQ ID NO:451, SEQ ID NO:452, SEQ ID NO:453, SEQ ID NO:454, SEQ ID NO:455, SEQ ID NO:456, SEQ ID NO:458, SEQ ID NO:459, SEQ ID NO:461, SEQ ID NO:463, SEQ ID NO:465, SEQ ID NO:467, SEQ ID NO:469, SEQ ID NO:471, SEQ ID NO:473, SEQ ID NO:474, SEQ ID NO:475, SEQ ID NO:477, SEQ ID NO:479, SEQ ID NO:481, SEQ ID NO:483, SEQ ID NO:485, SEQ ID NO:487, SEQ ID NO:488, SEQ ID NO:489, SEQ ID NO:490, SEQ ID NO:491, SEQ ID NO:492, SEQ ID NO:494, SEQ ID NO:495, SEQ ID NO:496, SEQ ID NO:497, SEQ ID NO:498, SEQ ID NO:499, SEQ ID NO:500, SEQ ID NO:501, SEQ ID NO:502, SEQ ID NO:504, SEQ ID NO:505, SEQ ID NO:506, SEQ ID NO:507, and SEQ ID NO:508.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 410 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 15 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:510, SEQ ID NO:511, SEQ ID NO:513, SEQ ID NO:515, SEQ ID NO:517, SEQ ID NO:521, SEQ ID NO:523, SEQ ID NO:525, SEQ ID NO:527, SEQ ID NO:529, SEQ ID NO:530, and SEQ ID NO:531.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 520 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 16 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:533, SEQ ID NO:535, SEQ ID NO:536, SEQ ID NO:538, SEQ ID NO:539, SEQ ID NO:541, SEQ ID NO:542, SEQ ID NO:543, SEQ ID NO:544, SEQ ID NO:545, SEQ ID NO:546, SEQ ID NO:547, SEQ ID NO:548, SEQ ID NO:550, SEQ ID NO:552, SEQ ID NO:553, and SEQ ID NO:554.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 1150 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 17 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:558, SEQ ID NO:559, SEQ ID NO:560, SEQ ID NO:561, SEQ ID NO:562, SEQ ID NO:563, SEQ ID NO:564, SEQ ID NO:565, SEQ ID NO:566, SEQ ID NO:567, SEQ ID NO:569, SEQ ID NO:571, SEQ ID NO:572, SEQ ID NO:573, SEQ ID NO:575, SEQ ID NO:576, SEQ ID NO:577, SEQ ID NO:578, SEQ ID NO:579, SEQ ID NO:581, SEQ ID NO:583, SEQ ID NO:584, SEQ ID NO:585, SEQ ID NO:586, SEQ ID NO:588, SEQ ID NO:589, SEQ ID NO:590, and SEQ ID NO:591.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 340 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 18 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:593, SEQ ID NO:595, SEQ ID NO:597, SEQ ID NO:599, SEQ ID NO:601, SEQ ID NO:603, SEQ ID NO:605, SEQ ID NO:607, SEQ ID NO:609, SEQ ID NO:610, and SEQ ID NO:611.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 140 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 19 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:613, SEQ ID NO:615, SEQ ID NO:617, SEQ ID NO:618, SEQ ID NO:620, SEQ ID NO:622, SEQ ID NO:624, SEQ ID NO:626, SEQ ID NO:628, SEQ ID NO:630, SEQ ID NO:632, SEQ ID NO:634, SEQ ID NO:636, SEQ ID NO:638, SEQ ID NO:640, SEQ ID NO:642, SEQ ID NO:643, and SEQ ID NO:644.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 250 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 20 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:646, SEQ ID NO:648, SEQ ID NO:650, SEQ ID NO:652, SEQ ID NO:654, SEQ ID NO:656, SEQ ID NO:658, SEQ ID NO:660, SEQ ID NO:662, SEQ ID NO:664, SEQ ID NO:666, SEQ ID NO:668, SEQ ID NO:670, SEQ ID NO:672, SEQ ID NO:674, SEQ ID NO:676, SEQ ID NO:678, SEQ ID NO:679, SEQ ID NO:680, SEQ ID NO:681, SEQ ID NO:682, SEQ ID NO:683, and SEQ ID NO:685.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 170 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 21 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:687, SEQ ID NO:689, SEQ ID NO:691, SEQ ID NO:693, SEQ ID NO:694, SEQ ID NO:696, SEQ ID NO:697, SEQ ID NO:699, SEQ ID NO:701, SEQ ID NO:703, SEQ ID NO:705, SEQ ID NO:706, SEQ ID NO:708, SEQ ID NO:710, SEQ ID NO:712, SEQ ID NO:714, SEQ ID NO:716, SEQ ID NO:718, SEQ ID NO:720, SEQ ID NO:721, SEQ ID NO:722, SEQ ID NO:723, SEQ ID NO:724, SEQ ID NO:725, SEQ ID NO:726, SEQ ID NO:727, and SEQ ID NO:728.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 210 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 22 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:730, SEQ ID NO:732, SEQ ID NO:733, SEQ ID NO:735, SEQ ID NO:737, SEQ ID NO:738, and SEQ ID NO:742.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 230 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 23 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:746, SEQ ID NO:748, SEQ ID NO:750, SEQ ID NO:751, SEQ ID NO:753, SEQ ID NO:755, SEQ ID NO:757, SEQ ID NO:758, SEQ ID NO:760, SEQ ID NO:761, SEQ ID NO:762, SEQ ID NO:763, SEQ ID NO:765, and SEQ ID NO:767.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 180 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 24 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:769, SEQ ID NO:771, SEQ ID NO:773, SEQ ID NO:775, SEQ ID NO:777, SEQ ID NO:779, SEQ ID NO:781, SEQ ID NO:783, SEQ ID NO:785, SEQ ID NO:787, SEQ ID NO:789, and SEQ ID NO:790.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 300 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 25 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:792, SEQ ID NO:794, SEQ ID NO:796, SEQ ID NO:798, SEQ ID NO:799, SEQ ID NO:801, SEQ ID NO:803, SEQ ID NO:805, SEQ ID NO:807, SEQ ID NO:808, SEQ ID NO:810, SEQ ID NO:812, SEQ ID NO:814, SEQ ID NO:816, SEQ ID NO:818, SEQ ID NO:819, SEQ ID NO:820, SEQ ID NO:821, and SEQ ID NO:822.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 190 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 26 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:824, SEQ ID NO:826, SEQ ID NO:1696, SEQ ID NO:1698, SEQ ID NO:1700, SEQ ID NO:1702, SEQ ID NO:1704, SEQ ID NO:1706, SEQ ID NO:1708, SEQ ID NO:1710, SEQ ID NO:1711, SEQ ID NO:1713, SEQ ID NO:1714, SEQ ID NO:1715, and SEQ ID NO:1716.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 630 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 27 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:828, SEQ ID NO:830, SEQ ID NO:832, SEQ ID NO:834, SEQ ID NO:836, SEQ ID NO:837, SEQ ID NO:838, SEQ ID NO:839, SEQ ID NO:840, SEQ ID NO:842, SEQ ID NO:844, SEQ ID NO:845, SEQ ID NO:846, SEQ ID NO:847, SEQ ID NO:848, SEQ ID NO:849, SEQ ID NO:850, and SEQ ID NO:851.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 95 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 28 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:855, SEQ ID NO:856, SEQ ID NO:858, SEQ ID NO:860, SEQ ID NO:862, SEQ ID NO:864, SEQ ID NO:866, SEQ ID NO:868, SEQ ID NO:870, SEQ ID NO:872, SEQ ID NO:874, SEQ ID NO:876, SEQ ID NO:878, SEQ ID NO:880, SEQ ID NO:882, SEQ ID NO:884, SEQ ID NO:885, SEQ ID NO:886, SEQ ID NO:887, SEQ ID NO:888, and SEQ ID NO:889.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 850 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 29 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:891, SEQ ID NO:893, SEQ ID NO:894, SEQ ID NO:895, SEQ ID NO:896, SEQ ID NO:898, SEQ ID NO:900, SEQ ID NO:901, SEQ ID NO:902, SEQ ID NO:903, SEQ ID NO:904, SEQ ID NO:905, SEQ ID NO:907, SEQ ID NO:908, SEQ ID NO:909, SEQ ID NO:910, SEQ ID NO:911, SEQ ID NO:912, SEQ ID NO:913, SEQ ID NO:914, and SEQ ID NO:915.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 300 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 30 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:917, SEQ ID NO:919, SEQ ID NO:921, SEQ ID NO:923, SEQ ID NO:925, SEQ ID NO:927, SEQ ID NO:929, SEQ ID NO:931, SEQ ID NO:933, SEQ ID NO:935, SEQ ID NO:937, SEQ ID NO:939, and SEQ ID NO:940.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 60 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 31 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:944, SEQ ID NO:946, SEQ ID NO:947, SEQ ID NO:948, SEQ ID NO:950, SEQ ID NO:952, SEQ ID NO:954, SEQ ID NO:956, SEQ ID NO:958, SEQ ID NO:960, SEQ ID NO:962, SEQ ID NO:964, SEQ ID NO:966, SEQ ID NO:967, SEQ ID NO:968, SEQ ID NO:969, SEQ ID NO:970, SEQ ID NO:972, and SEQ ID NO:974.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 340 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 32 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:976, SEQ ID NO:978, and SEQ ID NO:980.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 180 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 33 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:982, SEQ ID NO:984, SEQ ID NO:985, SEQ ID NO:986, SEQ ID NO:987, SEQ ID NO:988, SEQ ID NO:989, SEQ ID NO:990, SEQ ID NO:991, SEQ ID NO:992, SEQ ID NO:993, SEQ ID NO:995, SEQ ID NO:996, SEQ ID NO:998, SEQ ID NO:1000, SEQ ID NO:1001, SEQ ID NO:1003, SEQ ID NO:1005, SEQ ID NO:1007, SEQ ID NO:1008, SEQ ID NO:1009, SEQ ID NO:1011, SEQ ID NO:1013, SEQ ID NO:1015, SEQ ID NO:1016, SEQ ID NO:1018, SEQ ID NO:1019, SEQ ID NO:1021, SEQ ID NO:1023, SEQ ID NO:1025, SEQ ID NO:1026, SEQ ID NO:1027, SEQ ID NO:1028, SEQ ID NO:1029, SEQ ID NO:1030, SEQ ID NO:1031, SEQ ID NO:1032, and SEQ ID NO:1033.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 1060 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 34 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1054, SEQ ID NO:1055, SEQ ID NO:1057, SEQ ID NO:1058, SEQ ID NO:1059, SEQ ID NO:1061, SEQ ID NO:1063, SEQ ID NO:1065, SEQ ID NO:1065, SEQ ID NO:1067, SEQ ID NO:1068, SEQ ID NO:1070, SEQ ID NO:1071, SEQ ID NO:1072, SEQ ID NO:1074, SEQ ID NO:1075, SEQ ID NO:1076, SEQ ID NO:1077, SEQ ID NO:1078, SEQ ID NO:1080, SEQ ID NO:1082, SEQ ID NO:1083, SEQ ID NO:1085, SEQ ID NO:1086, SEQ ID NO:1087, SEQ ID NO:1088, SEQ ID NO:1089, SEQ ID NO:1089, SEQ ID NO:1090, SEQ ID NO:1091, SEQ ID NO:1092, SEQ ID NO:1093, SEQ ID NO:1094, SEQ ID NO:1095, and SEQ ID NO:1097.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 260 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 35 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1099, SEQ ID NO:1101, SEQ ID NO:1103, SEQ ID NO:1104, SEQ ID NO:1105, SEQ ID NO:1106, SEQ ID NO:1108, SEQ ID NO:1109, and SEQ ID NO:1110.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 150 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 36 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1112, SEQ ID NO:1113, and SEQ ID NO:1114.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 40 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 37 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1116, SEQ ID NO:1118, SEQ ID NO:1120, SEQ ID NO:1122, SEQ ID NO:1123, SEQ ID NO:1125, SEQ ID NO:1126, SEQ ID NO:1128, SEQ ID NO:1129, SEQ ID NO:1131, SEQ ID NO:1132, SEQ ID NO:1133, SEQ ID NO:1134, SEQ ID NO:1136, SEQ ID NO:1138, SEQ ID NO:1140, SEQ ID NO:1141, SEQ ID NO:1142, SEQ ID NO:1143, SEQ ID NO:1144, SEQ ID NO:1145, SEQ ID NO:1147, SEQ ID NO:1149, SEQ ID NO:1151, SEQ ID NO:1153, and SEQ ID NO:1155.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 450 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 38 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1159, SEQ ID NO:1161, SEQ ID NO:1162, SEQ ID NO:1163, and SEQ ID NO:1164.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 160 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 39 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1166, SEQ ID NO:1167, SEQ ID NO:1169, SEQ ID NO:1171, SEQ ID NO:1173, SEQ ID NO:1175, SEQ ID NO:1177, SEQ ID NO:1179, SEQ ID NO:1180, SEQ ID NO:1182, and SEQ ID NO:1183.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 180 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 40 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1185, SEQ ID NO:1187, SEQ ID NO:1189, SEQ ID NO:1190, SEQ ID NO:1191, and SEQ ID NO:1192.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 670 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 41 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1194, SEQ ID NO:1196, SEQ ID NO:1198, SEQ ID NO:1200, SEQ ID NO:1202, SEQ ID NO:1203, SEQ ID NO:1204, SEQ ID NO:1205, SEQ ID NO:1206, SEQ ID NO:1207, and SEQ ID NO:1208.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 280 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 42 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1210, SEQ ID NO:1211, SEQ ID NO:1213, SEQ ID NO:1215, SEQ ID NO:1216, SEQ ID NO:1218, SEQ ID NO:1220, SEQ ID NO:1222, SEQ ID NO:1224, SEQ ID NO:1226, SEQ ID NO:1228, SEQ ID NO:1229, SEQ ID NO:1230, SEQ ID NO:1232, SEQ ID NO:1233, SEQ ID NO:1234, SEQ ID NO:1235, SEQ ID NO:1236, SEQ ID NO:1237, SEQ ID NO:1238, SEQ ID NO:1239, SEQ ID NO:1240, SEQ ID NO:1241, SEQ ID NO:1242, SEQ ID NO:1243, SEQ ID NO:1244, SEQ ID NO:1245, SEQ ID NO:1246, SEQ ID NO:1247, SEQ ID NO:1248, SEQ ID NO:1249, SEQ ID NO:1251, SEQ ID NO:1253, SEQ ID NO:1255, SEQ ID NO:1257, SEQ ID NO:1259, SEQ ID NO:1261, SEQ ID NO:1263, SEQ ID NO:1264, SEQ ID NO:1265, SEQ ID NO:1266, SEQ ID NO:1267, SEQ ID NO:1268, SEQ ID NO:1269, SEQ ID NO:1270, SEQ ID NO:1271, and SEQ ID NO:1272.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 700 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 43 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1274, SEQ ID NO:1276, SEQ ID NO:1278, SEQ ID NO:1280, SEQ ID NO:1281, SEQ ID NO:1282, SEQ ID NO:1284, SEQ ID NO:1285, SEQ ID NO:1287, SEQ ID NO:1289, SEQ ID NO:1291, SEQ ID NO:1293, SEQ ID NO:1294, SEQ ID NO:1295, SEQ ID NO:1296, SEQ ID NO:1297, SEQ ID NO:1298, and SEQ ID NO:1300.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 920 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 44 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1302, SEQ ID NO:1303, SEQ ID NO:1305, SEQ ID NO:1307, SEQ ID NO:1309, SEQ ID NO:1311, SEQ ID NO:1312, SEQ ID NO:1313, SEQ ID NO:1314, SEQ ID NO:1315, SEQ ID NO:1317, SEQ ID NO:1318, SEQ ID NO:1319, SEQ ID NO:1320, SEQ ID NO:1321, SEQ ID NO:1322, SEQ ID NO:1323, SEQ ID NO:1324, SEQ ID NO:1325, SEQ ID NO:1326, SEQ ID NO:1327, SEQ ID NO:1328, SEQ ID NO:1330, SEQ ID NO:1331, SEQ ID NO:1333, SEQ ID NO:1334, SEQ ID NO:1335, SEQ ID NO:1336, SEQ ID NO:1337, SEQ ID NO:1338, SEQ ID NO:1339, and SEQ ID NO:1340.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 510 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 45 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1342, SEQ ID NO:1344, SEQ ID NO:1346, SEQ ID NO:1348, SEQ ID NO:1350, SEQ ID NO:1352, SEQ ID NO:1354, SEQ ID NO:1355, SEQ ID NO:1357, SEQ ID NO:1358, SEQ ID NO:1360, SEQ ID NO:1361, SEQ ID NO:1362, SEQ ID NO:1363, SEQ ID NO:1364, SEQ ID NO:1366, SEQ ID NO:1367, SEQ ID NO:1369, SEQ ID NO:1370, SEQ ID NO:1371, SEQ ID NO:1372, SEQ ID NO:1373, SEQ ID NO:1374, SEQ ID NO:1375, SEQ ID NO:1376, SEQ ID NO:1377, SEQ ID NO:1378, SEQ ID NO:1379, SEQ ID NO:1380, SEQ ID NO:1381, SEQ ID NO:1382, and SEQ ID NO:1383.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 140 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 46 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1385, SEQ ID NO:1387, SEQ ID NO:1389, SEQ ID NO:1390, SEQ ID NO:1391, SEQ ID NO:1393, SEQ ID NO:1394, SEQ ID NO:1395, SEQ ID NO:1396, SEQ ID NO:1398, SEQ ID NO:1400, SEQ ID NO:1401, SEQ ID NO:1402, SEQ ID NO:1403, SEQ ID NO:1404, SEQ ID NO:1405, and SEQ ID NO:1407.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 150 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 47 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1409, SEQ ID NO:1411, SEQ ID NO:1413, SEQ ID NO:1415, SEQ ID NO:1417, SEQ ID NO:1418, SEQ ID NO:1419, SEQ ID NO:1421, SEQ ID NO:1423, SEQ ID NO:1424, SEQ ID NO:1425, SEQ ID NO:1426.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 190 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 48 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1428, SEQ ID NO:1430, SEQ ID NO:1432, SEQ ID NO:1434, SEQ ID NO:1436, SEQ ID NO:1439, SEQ ID NO:1442, SEQ ID NO:1444, SEQ ID NO:1446, SEQ ID NO:1448, SEQ ID NO:1450, SEQ ID NO:1452, SEQ ID NO:1453, SEQ ID NO:1454, SEQ ID NO:1455, SEQ ID NO:1456, SEQ ID NO:1457, SEQ ID NO:1458, and SEQ ID NO:1459.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 450 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 49 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1463, SEQ ID NO:1465, SEQ ID NO:1467, SEQ ID NO:1469, SEQ ID NO:1471, SEQ ID NO:1473, SEQ ID NO:1474, SEQ ID NO:1475, SEQ ID NO:1476, and SEQ ID NO:1477.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 580 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 50 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1491, SEQ ID NO:1493, SEQ ID NO:1495, SEQ ID NO:1497, SEQ ID NO:1499, SEQ ID NO:1501, SEQ ID NO:1503, SEQ ID NO:1504, SEQ ID NO:1505, SEQ ID NO:1506, and SEQ ID NO:1508.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 100 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 51 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1510, SEQ ID NO:1512, SEQ ID NO:1514, SEQ ID NO:1516, SEQ ID NO:1518, SEQ ID NO:1520, SEQ ID NO:1522, and SEQ ID NO:1523.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 800 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 52 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1525, SEQ ID NO:1527, SEQ ID NO:1529, SEQ ID NO:1530, SEQ ID NO:1532, SEQ ID NO:1534, and SEQ ID NO:1535.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 490 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 53 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1537, SEQ ID NO:1539, SEQ ID NO:1540, SEQ ID NO:1541, SEQ ID NO:1543, SEQ ID NO:1545, SEQ ID NO:1547, SEQ ID NO:1548, SEQ ID NO:1550, SEQ ID NO:1552, SEQ ID NO:2386, SEQ ID NO:2388, SEQ ID NO:2390, SEQ ID NO:2391, and SEQ ID NO:2392.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 690 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 54 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1554, SEQ ID NO:1555, SEQ ID NO:1557, SEQ ID NO:1559, SEQ ID NO:1561, SEQ ID NO:1563, SEQ ID NO:1565, SEQ ID NO:1567, SEQ ID NO:1569, SEQ ID NO:1571, SEQ ID NO:1572, SEQ ID NO:1573, SEQ ID NO:1574, and SEQ ID NO:1575.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 380 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 55 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1035, SEQ ID NO:1036, SEQ ID NO:1037, SEQ ID NO:1040, SEQ ID NO:1041, SEQ ID NO:1043, SEQ ID NO:1044, SEQ ID NO:1046, SEQ ID NO:1047, SEQ ID NO:1048, SEQ ID NO:1050, SEQ ID NO:1440, SEQ ID NO:1480, SEQ ID NO:1481, SEQ ID NO:1482, SEQ ID NO:1483, SEQ ID NO:1484, SEQ ID NO:1485, SEQ ID NO:1486, SEQ ID NO:1487, SEQ ID NO:1488, SEQ ID NO:1577, SEQ ID NO:1578, SEQ ID NO:1580, SEQ ID NO:1582, SEQ ID NO:1584, SEQ ID NO:1586, SEQ ID NO:1588, SEQ ID NO:1590, SEQ ID NO:1592, SEQ ID NO:1594, SEQ ID NO:1596, SEQ ID NO:1598, SEQ ID NO:1599, SEQ ID NO:1601, SEQ ID NO:1602, SEQ ID NO:1605, SEQ ID NO:1607, SEQ ID NO:1608, SEQ ID NO:1609, SEQ ID NO:1611, SEQ ID NO:1613, SEQ ID NO:1615, SEQ ID NO:1617, SEQ ID NO:1619, SEQ ID NO:1621, SEQ ID NO:1622, SEQ ID NO:1623, SEQ ID NO:1624, SEQ ID NO:1625, SEQ ID NO:1627, SEQ ID NO:1629, SEQ ID NO:1631, SEQ ID NO:1633, SEQ ID NO:1635, SEQ ID NO:1637, SEQ ID NO:1639, SEQ ID NO:1643, SEQ ID NO:1645, SEQ ID NO:1648, SEQ ID NO:1649, SEQ ID NO:1651, and SEQ ID NO:1653.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 870 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 56 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:173, SEQ ID NO:212, SEQ ID NO:361, SEQ ID NO:421, SEQ ID NO:443, SEQ ID NO:740, SEQ ID NO:744, SEQ ID NO:942, SEQ ID NO:1437, and SEQ ID NO:1461.

Examples of polypeptides are shown in the sequence listing that have HMM bit scores greater than 140 when fitted to an HMM generated from the amino acid sequences set forth in FIG. 57 are identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. Such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:2010, SEQ ID NO:2011, SEQ ID NO:2013, SEQ ID NO:2015, and SEQ ID NO:2017.

D. Percent Identity

In some embodiments, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., at least 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:152, SEQ ID NO:166, SEQ ID NO:186, SEQ ID NO:208, SEQ ID NO:218, SEQ ID NO:234, SEQ ID NO:246, SEQ ID NO:300, SEQ ID NO:332, SEQ ID NO:368, SEQ ID NO:510, SEQ ID NO:533, SEQ ID NO:556, SEQ ID NO:558, SEQ ID NO:593, SEQ ID NO:613, SEQ ID NO:646, SEQ ID NO:687, SEQ ID NO:730, SEQ ID NO:746, SEQ ID NO:769, SEQ ID NO:792, SEQ ID NO:824, SEQ ID NO:828, SEQ ID NO:853, SEQ ID NO:855, SEQ ID NO:891, SEQ ID NO:917, SEQ ID NO:944, SEQ ID NO:976, SEQ ID NO:982, SEQ ID NO:1054, SEQ ID NO:1099, SEQ ID NO:1112, SEQ ID NO:1116, SEQ ID NO:1157, SEQ ID NO:1159, SEQ ID NO:1166, SEQ ID NO:1185, SEQ ID NO:1194, SEQ ID NO:1210, SEQ ID NO:1274, SEQ ID NO:1302, SEQ ID NO:1342, SEQ ID NO:1385, SEQ ID NO:1409, SEQ ID NO:1428, SEQ ID NO:1437, SEQ ID NO:1463, SEQ ID NO:1491, SEQ ID NO:1510, SEQ ID NO:1525, SEQ ID NO:1537, SEQ ID NO:1554, and SEQ ID NO:1577. Polypeptides having such a percent sequence identity often have a domain indicative of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide and/or have an HMM bit score that is greater than 20, as discussed above. Amino acid sequences of low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides having at least 20% sequence identity to one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:152, SEQ ID NO:166, SEQ ID NO:186, SEQ ID NO:208, SEQ ID NO:218, SEQ ID NO:234, SEQ ID NO:246, SEQ ID NO:300, SEQ ID NO:332, SEQ ID NO:368, SEQ ID NO:510, SEQ ID NO:533, SEQ ID NO:556, SEQ ID NO:558, SEQ ID NO:593, SEQ ID NO:613, SEQ ID NO:646, SEQ ID NO:687, SEQ ID NO:730, SEQ ID NO:746, SEQ ID NO:769, SEQ ID NO:792, SEQ ID NO:824, SEQ ID NO:828, SEQ ID NO:853, SEQ ID NO:855, SEQ ID NO:891, SEQ ID NO:917, SEQ ID NO:944, SEQ ID NO:976, SEQ ID NO:982, SEQ ID NO:1054, SEQ ID NO:1099, SEQ ID NO:1112, SEQ ID NO:1116, SEQ ID NO:1157, SEQ ID NO:1159, SEQ ID NO:1166, SEQ ID NO:1185, SEQ ID NO:1194, SEQ ID NO:1210, SEQ ID NO:1274, SEQ ID NO:1302, SEQ ID NO:1342, SEQ ID NO:1385, SEQ ID NO:1409, SEQ ID NO:1428, SEQ ID NO:1437, SEQ ID NO:1463, SEQ ID NO:1491, SEQ ID NO:1510, SEQ ID NO:1525, SEQ ID NO:1537, SEQ ID NO:1554, and SEQ ID NO:1577 are provided in FIGS. 1-57 and in the Sequence Listing.

“Percent sequence identity” refers to the degree of sequence identity between any given reference sequence, e.g., SEQ ID NO:3, and a candidate low nitrogen tolerance-modulating sequence. A candidate sequence typically has a length that is from 80 percent to 200 percent of the length of the reference sequence, e.g., 82, 85, 87, 89, 90, 93, 95, 97, 99, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, or 200 percent of the length of the reference sequence. A percent identity for any candidate nucleic acid or polypeptide relative to a reference nucleic acid or polypeptide can be determined as follows. A reference sequence (e.g., a nucleic acid sequence or an amino acid sequence) is aligned to one or more candidate sequences using the computer program ClustalW (version 1.83, default parameters), which allows alignments of nucleic acid or polypeptide sequences to be carried out across their entire length (global alignment). Chenna et al. (2003) Nucleic Acids Res., 31(13):3497-500.

ClustalW calculates the best match between a reference and one or more candidate sequences, and aligns them so that identities, similarities and differences can be determined. Gaps of one or more residues can be inserted into a reference sequence, a candidate sequence, or both, to maximize sequence alignments. For fast pairwise alignment of nucleic acid sequences, the following default parameters are used: word size: 2; window size: 4; scoring method: percentage; number of top diagonals: 4; and gap penalty: 5. For multiple alignment of nucleic acid sequences, the following parameters are used: gap opening penalty: 10.0; gap extension penalty: 5.0; and weight transitions: yes. For fast pairwise alignment of protein sequences, the following parameters are used: word size: 1; window size: 5; scoring method: percentage; number of top diagonals: 5; gap penalty: 3. For multiple alignment of protein sequences, the following parameters are used: weight matrix: blosum; gap opening penalty: 10.0; gap extension penalty: 0.05; hydrophilic gaps: on; hydrophilic residues: Gly, Pro, Ser, Asn, Asp, Gln, Glu, Arg, and Lys; residue-specific gap penalties: on. The ClustalW output is a sequence alignment that reflects the relationship between sequences. ClustalW can be run, for example, at the Baylor College of Medicine Search Launcher site (searchlauncher.bcm.tmc.edu/multi-align/multi-align.html) and at the European Bioinformatics Institute site on the World Wide Web (ebi.ac.uk/clustalw).

To determine percent identity of a candidate nucleic acid or amino acid sequence to a reference sequence, the sequences are aligned using ClustalW, the number of identical matches in the alignment is divided by the length of the reference sequence, and the result is multiplied by 100. It is noted that the percent identity value can be rounded to the nearest tenth. For example, 78.11, 78.12, 78.13, and 78.14 are rounded down to 78.1, while 78.15, 78.16, 78.17, 78.18, and 78.19 are rounded up to 78.2.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3, and preferably has at least 20% sequence identity, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:3. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:3 are provided in FIG. 1 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:4, SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:22, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:40, SEQ ID NO:41, SEQ ID NO:42, SEQ ID NO:43, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:45, SEQ ID NO:46, and SEQ ID NO:47.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:49, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:49. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:49 are provided in FIG. 2 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:51, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:55, SEQ ID NO:56, SEQ ID NO:58, SEQ ID NO:60, SEQ ID NO:62, SEQ ID NO:63, SEQ ID NO:64, SEQ ID NO:65, SEQ ID NO:67, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:70, SEQ ID NO:71, SEQ ID NO:72, SEQ ID NO:73, and SEQ ID NO:75.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:77, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:77. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:77 are provided in FIG. 3 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:78, SEQ ID NO:80, SEQ ID NO:82, SEQ ID NO:84, SEQ ID NO:85, SEQ ID NO:87, SEQ ID NO:88, SEQ ID NO:90, SEQ ID NO:92, SEQ ID NO:93, SEQ ID NO:95, SEQ ID NO:1479.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:100, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:100. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO: 100 are provided in FIG. 4 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:101, SEQ ID NO:102, SEQ ID NO:104, SEQ ID NO:106, SEQ ID NO:108, SEQ ID NO:110, SEQ ID NO:111, SEQ ID NO:113, SEQ ID NO:115, SEQ ID NO:116, SEQ ID NO:117, SEQ ID NO:118, SEQ ID NO:119, SEQ ID NO:120, SEQ ID NO:121, SEQ ID NO:122, SEQ ID NO:123, SEQ ID NO:125, SEQ ID NO:126, SEQ ID NO:128, SEQ ID NO:129, SEQ ID NO:130, SEQ ID NO:131, SEQ ID NO:132, SEQ ID NO:133, SEQ ID NO:134, SEQ ID NO:135, SEQ ID NO:137, SEQ ID NO:139, SEQ ID NO:141, SEQ ID NO:142, SEQ ID NO:144, SEQ ID NO:145, SEQ ID NO:146, SEQ ID NO:147, SEQ ID NO:148, SEQ ID NO:149, and SEQ ID NO:150.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:152, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:152. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:152 are provided in FIG. 5 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:154, SEQ ID NO:156, SEQ ID NO:158, SEQ ID NO:160, SEQ ID NO:162, and SEQ ID NO:164.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:166, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:166. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:166 are provided in FIG. 6 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:166, SEQ ID NO:168, SEQ ID NO:170, SEQ ID NO:172, SEQ ID NO:174, SEQ ID NO:177, SEQ ID NO:179, SEQ ID NO:181, SEQ ID NO:182, SEQ ID NO:183, SEQ ID NO:184.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:186, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:186. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:186 are provided in FIG. 7 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:188, SEQ ID NO:190, SEQ ID NO:191, SEQ ID NO:193, SEQ ID NO:194, SEQ ID NO:196, SEQ ID NO:197, SEQ ID NO:199, SEQ ID NO:201, SEQ ID NO:203, SEQ ID NO:204, SEQ ID NO:205, and SEQ ID NO:206.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:208, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:208. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:208 are provided in FIG. 8 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:209, SEQ ID NO:210, SEQ ID NO:214, and SEQ ID NO:216.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:218, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:218. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:218 are provided in FIG. 9 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:218, SEQ ID NO:220, SEQ ID NO:222, SEQ ID NO:223, SEQ ID NO:225, SEQ ID NO:227, SEQ ID NO:229, SEQ ID NO:230, SEQ ID NO:231, SEQ ID NO:232, SEQ ID NO:1039, SEQ ID NO:1049, and SEQ ID NO:1052.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:234, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:234. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:234 are provided in FIG. 10 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:236, SEQ ID NO:238, SEQ ID NO:239, SEQ ID NO:241, SEQ ID NO:242, SEQ ID NO:243, and SEQ ID NO:244.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:246, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:246. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:246 are provided in FIG. 11 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:248, SEQ ID NO:249, SEQ ID NO:251, SEQ ID NO:253, SEQ ID NO:255, SEQ ID NO:257, SEQ ID NO:259, SEQ ID NO:260, SEQ ID NO:262, SEQ ID NO:264, SEQ ID NO:265, SEQ ID NO:267, SEQ ID NO:268, SEQ ID NO:270, SEQ ID NO:272, SEQ ID NO:274, SEQ ID NO:276, SEQ ID NO:277, SEQ ID NO:279, SEQ ID NO:281, SEQ ID NO:283, SEQ ID NO:285, SEQ ID NO:286, SEQ ID NO:287, SEQ ID NO:288, SEQ ID NO:290, SEQ ID NO:291, SEQ ID NO:292, SEQ ID NO:293, SEQ ID NO:296, and SEQ ID NO:298.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:300, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:300. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:300 are provided in FIG. 12 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:302, SEQ ID NO:304, SEQ ID NO:306, SEQ ID NO:308, SEQ ID NO:310, SEQ ID NO:312, SEQ ID NO:314, SEQ ID NO:316, SEQ ID NO:318, SEQ ID NO:319, SEQ ID NO:320, SEQ ID NO:321, SEQ ID NO:322, SEQ ID NO:323, SEQ ID NO:325, SEQ ID NO:327, and SEQ ID NO:329.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:332, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:332. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:332 are provided in FIG. 13 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:332, SEQ ID NO:334, SEQ ID NO:335, SEQ ID NO:336, SEQ ID NO:338, SEQ ID NO:339, SEQ ID NO:341, SEQ ID NO:342, SEQ ID NO:343, SEQ ID NO:344, SEQ ID NO:345, SEQ ID NO:346, SEQ ID NO:347, SEQ ID NO:348, SEQ ID NO:349, SEQ ID NO:351, SEQ ID NO:352, SEQ ID NO:353, SEQ ID NO:354, SEQ ID NO:355, SEQ ID NO:356, SEQ ID NO:357, SEQ ID NO:358, SEQ ID NO:359, SEQ ID NO:360, SEQ ID NO:362, SEQ ID NO:363, SEQ ID NO:364, SEQ ID NO:365, SEQ ID NO:366, SEQ ID NO:2541, SEQ ID NO:2542, SEQ ID NO:2543, SEQ ID NO:2544, SEQ ID NO:2546, SEQ ID NO:2548, SEQ ID NO:2549, SEQ ID NO:2550, SEQ ID NO:2551, SEQ ID NO:2552, and SEQ ID NO:2553.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:368, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:368. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:368 are provided in FIG. 14 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:369, SEQ ID NO:370, SEQ ID NO:371, SEQ ID NO:372, SEQ ID NO:373, SEQ ID NO:374, SEQ ID NO:376, SEQ ID NO:378, SEQ ID NO:380, SEQ ID NO:382, SEQ ID NO:384, SEQ ID NO:386, SEQ ID NO:388, SEQ ID NO:390, SEQ ID NO:392, SEQ ID NO:394, SEQ ID NO:396, SEQ ID NO:398, SEQ ID NO:399, SEQ ID NO:401, SEQ ID NO:403, SEQ ID NO:404, SEQ ID NO:406, SEQ ID NO:408, SEQ ID NO:410, SEQ ID NO:412, SEQ ID NO:414, SEQ ID NO:416, SEQ ID NO:418, SEQ ID NO:419, SEQ ID NO:420, SEQ ID NO:422, SEQ ID NO:423, SEQ ID NO:425, SEQ ID NO:427, SEQ ID NO:428, SEQ ID NO:430, SEQ ID NO:432, SEQ ID NO:433, SEQ ID NO:434, SEQ ID NO:435, SEQ ID NO:436, SEQ ID NO:437, SEQ ID NO:438, SEQ ID NO:439, SEQ ID NO:440, SEQ ID NO:441, SEQ ID NO:444, SEQ ID NO:445, SEQ ID NO:446, SEQ ID NO:447, SEQ ID NO:448, SEQ ID NO:449, SEQ ID NO:450, SEQ ID NO:451, SEQ ID NO:452, SEQ ID NO:453, SEQ ID NO:454, SEQ ID NO:455, SEQ ID NO:456, SEQ ID NO:458, SEQ ID NO:459, SEQ ID NO:461, SEQ ID NO:463, SEQ ID NO:465, SEQ ID NO:467, SEQ ID NO:469, SEQ ID NO:471, SEQ ID NO:473, SEQ ID NO:474, SEQ ID NO:475, SEQ ID NO:477, SEQ ID NO:479, SEQ ID NO:481, SEQ ID NO:483, SEQ ID NO:485, SEQ ID NO:487, SEQ ID NO:488, SEQ ID NO:489, SEQ ID NO:490, SEQ ID NO:491, SEQ ID NO:492, SEQ ID NO:494, SEQ ID NO:495, SEQ ID NO:496, SEQ ID NO:497, SEQ ID NO:498, SEQ ID NO:499, SEQ ID NO:500, SEQ ID NO:501, SEQ ID NO:502, SEQ ID NO:504, SEQ ID NO:505, SEQ ID NO:506, SEQ ID NO:507, and SEQ ID NO:508.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:510, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:510. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:510 are provided in FIG. 15 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:511, SEQ ID NO:513, SEQ ID NO:515, SEQ ID NO:517, SEQ ID NO:521, SEQ ID NO:523, SEQ ID NO:525, SEQ ID NO:527, SEQ ID NO:529, SEQ ID NO:530, and SEQ ID NO:531.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:533, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:533. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:533 are provided in FIG. 16 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:535, SEQ ID NO:536, SEQ ID NO:538, SEQ ID NO:539, SEQ ID NO:541, SEQ ID NO:542, SEQ ID NO:543, SEQ ID NO:544, SEQ ID NO:545, SEQ ID NO:546, SEQ ID NO:547, SEQ ID NO:548, SEQ ID NO:550, SEQ ID NO:552, SEQ ID NO:553, and SEQ ID NO:554.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:558, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:558. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:558 are provided in FIG. 17 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:559, SEQ ID NO:560, SEQ ID NO:561, SEQ ID NO:562, SEQ ID NO:563, SEQ ID NO:564, SEQ ID NO:565, SEQ ID NO:566, SEQ ID NO:567, SEQ ID NO:569, SEQ ID NO:571, SEQ ID NO:572, SEQ ID NO:573, SEQ ID NO:575, SEQ ID NO:576, SEQ ID NO:577, SEQ ID NO:578, SEQ ID NO:579, SEQ ID NO:581, SEQ ID NO:583, SEQ ID NO:584, SEQ ID NO:585, SEQ ID NO:586, SEQ ID NO:588, SEQ ID NO:589, SEQ ID NO:590, and SEQ ID NO:591.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:593, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:593. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:593 are provided in FIG. 18 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:595, SEQ ID NO:597, SEQ ID NO:599, SEQ ID NO:601, SEQ ID NO:603, SEQ ID NO:605, SEQ ID NO:607, SEQ ID NO:609, SEQ ID NO:610, and SEQ ID NO:611.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:613, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:613. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:613 are provided in FIG. 19 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:615, SEQ ID NO:617, SEQ ID NO:618, SEQ ID NO:620, SEQ ID NO:622, SEQ ID NO:624, SEQ ID NO:626, SEQ ID NO:628, SEQ ID NO:630, SEQ ID NO:632, SEQ ID NO:634, SEQ ID NO:636, SEQ ID NO:638, SEQ ID NO:640, SEQ ID NO:642, SEQ ID NO:643, and SEQ ID NO:644.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:646, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:646. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:646 are provided in FIG. 20 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:648, SEQ ID NO:650, SEQ ID NO:652, SEQ ID NO:654, SEQ ID NO:656, SEQ ID NO:658, SEQ ID NO:660, SEQ ID NO:662, SEQ ID NO:664, SEQ ID NO:666, SEQ ID NO:668, SEQ ID NO:670, SEQ ID NO:672, SEQ ID NO:674, SEQ ID NO:676, SEQ ID NO:678, SEQ ID NO:679, SEQ ID NO:680, SEQ ID NO:681, SEQ ID NO:682, SEQ ID NO:683, and SEQ ID NO:685.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:687, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:687. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:687 are provided in FIG. 21 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:689, SEQ ID NO:691, SEQ ID NO:693, SEQ ID NO:694, SEQ ID NO:696, SEQ ID NO:697, SEQ ID NO:699, SEQ ID NO:701, SEQ ID NO:703, SEQ ID NO:705, SEQ ID NO:706, SEQ ID NO:708, SEQ ID NO:710, SEQ ID NO:712, SEQ ID NO:714, SEQ ID NO:716, SEQ ID NO:718, SEQ ID NO:720, SEQ ID NO:721, SEQ ID NO:722, SEQ ID NO:723, SEQ ID NO:724, SEQ ID NO:725, SEQ ID NO:726, SEQ ID NO:727, and SEQ ID NO:728.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:730, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:730. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:730 are provided in FIG. 22 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:732, SEQ ID NO:733, SEQ ID NO:735, SEQ ID NO:737, SEQ ID NO:738, and SEQ ID NO:742.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:746, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:746. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:746 are provided in FIG. 23 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:748, SEQ ID NO:750, SEQ ID NO:751, SEQ ID NO:753, SEQ ID NO:755, SEQ ID NO:757, SEQ ID NO:758, SEQ ID NO:760, SEQ ID NO:761, SEQ ID NO:762, SEQ ID NO:763, SEQ ID NO:765, and SEQ ID NO:767.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:769, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:769. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:769 are provided in FIG. 24 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:771, SEQ ID NO:773, SEQ ID NO:775, SEQ ID NO:777, SEQ ID NO:779, SEQ ID NO:781, SEQ ID NO:783, SEQ ID NO:785, SEQ ID NO:787, SEQ ID NO:789, and SEQ ID NO:790.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:792, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:792. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:792 are provided in FIG. 25 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:794, SEQ ID NO:796, SEQ ID NO:798, SEQ ID NO:799, SEQ ID NO:801, SEQ ID NO:803, SEQ ID NO:805, SEQ ID NO:807, SEQ ID NO:808, SEQ ID NO:810, SEQ ID NO:812, SEQ ID NO:814, SEQ ID NO:816, SEQ ID NO:818, SEQ ID NO:819, SEQ ID NO:820, SEQ ID NO:821, and SEQ ID NO:822.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:824, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:824. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:824 are provided in FIG. 26 and in the Sequence Listing. Such polypeptides include, but not limited to, SEQ ID NO:826, SEQ ID NO:1696, SEQ ID NO:1698, SEQ ID NO:1700, SEQ ID NO:1702, SEQ ID NO:1704, SEQ ID NO:1706, SEQ ID NO:1708, SEQ ID NO:1710, SEQ ID NO:1711, SEQ ID NO:1713, SEQ ID NO:1714, SEQ ID NO:1715, and SEQ ID NO:1716.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:828, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:828. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:828 are provided in FIG. 27 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:830, SEQ ID NO:832, SEQ ID NO:834, SEQ ID NO:836, SEQ ID NO:837, SEQ ID NO:838, SEQ ID NO:839, SEQ ID NO:840, SEQ ID NO:842, SEQ ID NO:844, SEQ ID NO:845, SEQ ID NO:846, SEQ ID NO:847, SEQ ID NO:848, SEQ ID NO:849, SEQ ID NO:850, and SEQ ID NO:851.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:855, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:855. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:855 are provided in FIG. 28 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:856, SEQ ID NO:858, SEQ ID NO:860, SEQ ID NO:862, SEQ ID NO:864, SEQ ID NO:866, SEQ ID NO:868, SEQ ID NO:870, SEQ ID NO:872, SEQ ID NO:874, SEQ ID NO:876, SEQ ID NO:878, SEQ ID NO:880, SEQ ID NO:882, SEQ ID NO:884, SEQ ID NO:885, SEQ ID NO:886, SEQ ID NO:887, SEQ ID NO:888, and SEQ ID NO:889.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:891, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:891. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:891 are provided in FIG. 29 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:893, SEQ ID NO:894, SEQ ID NO:895, SEQ ID NO:896, SEQ ID NO:898, SEQ ID NO:900, SEQ ID NO:901, SEQ ID NO:902, SEQ ID NO:903, SEQ ID NO:904, SEQ ID NO:905, SEQ ID NO:907, SEQ ID NO:908, SEQ ID NO:909, SEQ ID NO:910, SEQ ID NO:911, SEQ ID NO:912, SEQ ID NO:913, SEQ ID NO:914, and SEQ ID NO:915.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:917, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:917. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:917 are provided in FIG. 30 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:919, SEQ ID NO:921, SEQ ID NO:923, SEQ ID NO:925, SEQ ID NO:927, SEQ ID NO:929, SEQ ID NO:931, SEQ ID NO:933, SEQ ID NO:935, SEQ ID NO:937, SEQ ID NO:939, and SEQ ID NO:940.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:944, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:944. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:944 are provided in FIG. 31 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:946, SEQ ID NO:947, SEQ ID NO:948, SEQ ID NO:950, SEQ ID NO:952, SEQ ID NO:954, SEQ ID NO:956, SEQ ID NO:958, SEQ ID NO:960, SEQ ID NO:962, SEQ ID NO:964, SEQ ID NO:966, SEQ ID NO:967, SEQ ID NO:968, SEQ ID NO:969, SEQ ID NO:970, SEQ ID NO:972, and SEQ ID NO:974.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:976, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:976. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 45% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:976 are provided in FIG. 32 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:978 and SEQ ID NO:980.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:982, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:982. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:982 are provided in FIG. 33 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:984, SEQ ID NO:985, SEQ ID NO:986, SEQ ID NO:987, SEQ ID NO:988, SEQ ID NO:989, SEQ ID NO:990, SEQ ID NO:991, SEQ ID NO:992, SEQ ID NO:993, SEQ ID NO:995, SEQ ID NO:996, SEQ ID NO:998, SEQ ID NO:1000, SEQ ID NO:1001, SEQ ID NO:1003, SEQ ID NO:1005, SEQ ID NO:1007, SEQ ID NO:1008, SEQ ID NO:1009, SEQ ID NO:1011, SEQ ID NO:1013, SEQ ID NO:1015, SEQ ID NO:1016, SEQ ID NO:1018, SEQ ID NO:1019, SEQ ID NO:1021, SEQ ID NO:1023, SEQ ID NO:1025, SEQ ID NO:1026, SEQ ID NO:1027, SEQ ID NO:1028, SEQ ID NO:1029, SEQ ID NO:1030, SEQ ID NO:1031, SEQ ID NO:1032, and SEQ ID NO:1033.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1054, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1054. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1054 are provided in FIG. 34 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1055, SEQ ID NO:1057, SEQ ID NO:1058, SEQ ID NO:1059, SEQ ID NO:1061, SEQ ID NO:1063, SEQ ID NO:1065, SEQ ID NO:1065, SEQ ID NO:1067, SEQ ID NO:1068, SEQ ID NO:1070, SEQ ID NO:1071, SEQ ID NO:1072, SEQ ID NO:1074, SEQ ID NO:1075, SEQ ID NO:1076, SEQ ID NO:1077, SEQ ID NO:1078, SEQ ID NO:1080, SEQ ID NO:1082, SEQ ID NO:1083, SEQ ID NO:1085, SEQ ID NO:1086, SEQ ID NO:1087, SEQ ID NO:1088, SEQ ID NO:1089, SEQ ID NO:1089, SEQ ID NO:1090, SEQ ID NO:1091, SEQ ID NO:1092, SEQ ID NO:1093, SEQ ID NO:1094, SEQ ID NO:1095, and SEQ ID NO:1097.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1099, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1099. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1099 are provided in FIG. 35 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1101, SEQ ID NO:1103, SEQ ID NO:1104, SEQ ID NO:1105, SEQ ID NO:1106, SEQ ID NO:1108, SEQ ID NO:1109, and SEQ ID NO:1110.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1112, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1112. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1112 are provided in FIG. 36 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1113 and SEQ ID NO:1114.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1116, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1116. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1116 are provided in FIG. 37 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1118, SEQ ID NO:1120, SEQ ID NO:1122, SEQ ID NO:1123, SEQ ID NO:1125, SEQ ID NO:1126, SEQ ID NO:1128, SEQ ID NO:1129, SEQ ID NO:1131, SEQ ID NO:1132, SEQ ID NO:1133, SEQ ID NO:1134, SEQ ID NO:1136, SEQ ID NO:1138, SEQ ID NO:1140, SEQ ID NO:1141, SEQ ID NO:1142, SEQ ID NO:1143, SEQ ID NO:1144, SEQ ID NO:1145, SEQ ID NO:1147, SEQ ID NO:1149, SEQ ID NO:1151, SEQ ID NO:1153, and SEQ ID NO:1155.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1159, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1159. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1159 are provided in FIG. 38 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1161, SEQ ID NO:1162, SEQ ID NO:1163, and SEQ ID NO:1164.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1166, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1166. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1166 are provided in FIG. 39 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1167, SEQ ID NO:1169, SEQ ID NO:1171, SEQ ID NO:1173, SEQ ID NO:1175, SEQ ID NO:1177, SEQ ID NO:1179, SEQ ID NO:1180, SEQ ID NO:1182, and SEQ ID NO:1183.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1185, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1185. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1185 are provided in FIG. 40 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1187, SEQ ID NO:1189, SEQ ID NO:1190, SEQ ID NO:1191, and SEQ ID NO:1192.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1194, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1194. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1194 are provided in FIG. 41 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1196, SEQ ID NO:1198, SEQ ID NO:1200, SEQ ID NO:1202, SEQ ID NO:1203, SEQ ID NO:1204, SEQ ID NO:1205, SEQ ID NO:1206, SEQ ID NO:1207, and SEQ ID NO:1208.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1210, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1210. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1210 are provided in FIG. 42 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1211, SEQ ID NO:1213, SEQ ID NO:1215, SEQ ID NO:1216, SEQ ID NO:1218, SEQ ID NO:1220, SEQ ID NO:1222, SEQ ID NO:1224, SEQ ID NO:1226, SEQ ID NO:1228, SEQ ID NO:1229, SEQ ID NO:1230, SEQ ID NO:1232, SEQ ID NO:1233, SEQ ID NO:1234, SEQ ID NO:1235, SEQ ID NO:1236, SEQ ID NO:1237, SEQ ID NO:1238, SEQ ID NO:1239, SEQ ID NO:1240, SEQ ID NO:1241, SEQ ID NO:1242, SEQ ID NO:1243, SEQ ID NO:1244, SEQ ID NO:1245, SEQ ID NO:1246, SEQ ID NO:1247, SEQ ID NO:1248, SEQ ID NO:1249, SEQ ID NO:1251, SEQ ID NO:1253, SEQ ID NO:1255, SEQ ID NO:1257, SEQ ID NO:1259, SEQ ID NO:1261, SEQ ID NO:1263, SEQ ID NO:1264, SEQ ID NO:1265, SEQ ID NO:1266, SEQ ID NO:1267, SEQ ID NO:1268, SEQ ID NO:1269, SEQ ID NO:1270, SEQ ID NO:1271, and SEQ ID NO:1272.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1274, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1274. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1274 are provided in FIG. 43 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1276, SEQ ID NO:1278, SEQ ID NO:1280, SEQ ID NO:1281, SEQ ID NO:1282, SEQ ID NO:1284, SEQ ID NO:1285, SEQ ID NO:1287, SEQ ID NO:1289, SEQ ID NO:1291, SEQ ID NO:1293, SEQ ID NO:1294, SEQ ID NO:1295, SEQ ID NO:1296, SEQ ID NO:1297, SEQ ID NO:1298, and SEQ ID NO:1300.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1302, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1302. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1302 are provided in FIG. 44 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1303, SEQ ID NO:1305, SEQ ID NO:1307, SEQ ID NO:1309, SEQ ID NO:1311, SEQ ID NO:1312, SEQ ID NO:1313, SEQ ID NO:1314, SEQ ID NO:1315, SEQ ID NO:1317, SEQ ID NO:1318, SEQ ID NO:1319, SEQ ID NO:1320, SEQ ID NO:1321, SEQ ID NO:1322, SEQ ID NO:1323, SEQ ID NO:1324, SEQ ID NO:1325, SEQ ID NO:1326, SEQ ID NO:1327, SEQ ID NO:1328, SEQ ID NO:1330, SEQ ID NO:1331, SEQ ID NO:1333, SEQ ID NO:1334, SEQ ID NO:1335, SEQ ID NO:1336, SEQ ID NO:1337, SEQ ID NO:1338, SEQ ID NO:1339, and SEQ ID NO:1340.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1342, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1342. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1342 are provided in FIG. 45 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1344, SEQ ID NO:1346, SEQ ID NO:1348, SEQ ID NO:1350, SEQ ID NO:1352, SEQ ID NO:1354, SEQ ID NO:1355, SEQ ID NO:1357, SEQ ID NO:1358, SEQ ID NO:1360, SEQ ID NO:1361, SEQ ID NO:1362, SEQ ID NO:1363, SEQ ID NO:1364, SEQ ID NO:1366, SEQ ID NO:1367, SEQ ID NO:1369, SEQ ID NO:1370, SEQ ID NO:1371, SEQ ID NO:1372, SEQ ID NO:1373, SEQ ID NO:1374, SEQ ID NO:1375, SEQ ID NO:1376, SEQ ID NO:1377, SEQ ID NO:1378, SEQ ID NO:1379, SEQ ID NO:1380, SEQ ID NO:1381, SEQ ID NO:1382, and SEQ ID NO:1383.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1385, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1385. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1385 are provided in FIG. 46 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1387, SEQ ID NO:1389, SEQ ID NO:1390, SEQ ID NO:1391, SEQ ID NO:1393, SEQ ID NO:1394, SEQ ID NO:1395, SEQ ID NO:1396, SEQ ID NO:1398, SEQ ID NO:1400, SEQ ID NO:1401, SEQ ID NO:1402, SEQ ID NO:1403, SEQ ID NO:1404, SEQ ID NO:1405, and SEQ ID NO:1407.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1409, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1409. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1409 are provided in FIG. 47 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1411, SEQ ID NO:1413, SEQ ID NO:1415, SEQ ID NO:1417, SEQ ID NO:1418, SEQ ID NO:1419, SEQ ID NO:1421, SEQ ID NO:1423, SEQ ID NO:1424, SEQ ID NO:1425, and SEQ ID NO:1426.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1428, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1428. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1428 are provided in FIG. 48 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1430, SEQ ID NO:1432, SEQ ID NO:1434, SEQ ID NO:1436, SEQ ID NO:1439, SEQ ID NO:1442, SEQ ID NO:1444, SEQ ID NO:1446, SEQ ID NO:1448, SEQ ID NO:1450, SEQ ID NO:1452, SEQ ID NO:1453, SEQ ID NO:1454, SEQ ID NO:1455, SEQ ID NO:1456, SEQ ID NO:1457, SEQ ID NO:1458, and SEQ ID NO:1459.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1463, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1463. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1463 are provided in FIG. 49 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1465, SEQ ID NO:1467, SEQ ID NO:1469, SEQ ID NO:1471, SEQ ID NO:1473, SEQ ID NO:1474, SEQ ID NO:1475, SEQ ID NO:1476, and SEQ ID NO:1477.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1491, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1491. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1491 are provided in FIG. 50 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1493, SEQ ID NO:1495, SEQ ID NO:1497, SEQ ID NO:1499, SEQ ID NO:1501, SEQ ID NO:1503, SEQ ID NO:1504, SEQ ID NO:1505, SEQ ID NO:1506, and SEQ ID NO:1508.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1510, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1510. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1510 are provided in FIG. 51 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1512, SEQ ID NO:1514, SEQ ID NO:1516, SEQ ID NO:1518, SEQ ID NO:1520, SEQ ID NO:1522, and SEQ ID NO:1523.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1525, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1525. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1525 are provided in FIG. 52 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1527, SEQ ID NO:1529, SEQ ID NO:1530, SEQ ID NO:1532, SEQ ID NO:1534, and SEQ ID NO:1535.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1537, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1537. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1537 are provided in FIG. 53 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1539, SEQ ID NO:1540, SEQ ID NO:1541, SEQ ID NO:1543, SEQ ID NO:1545, SEQ ID NO:1547, SEQ ID NO:1548, SEQ ID NO:1550, SEQ ID NO:1552, SEQ ID NO:2386, SEQ ID NO:2388, SEQ ID NO:2390, SEQ ID NO:2391, and SEQ ID NO:2392.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1554, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1554. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1554 are provided in FIG. 54 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1555, SEQ ID NO:1557, SEQ ID NO:1559, SEQ ID NO:1561, SEQ ID NO:1563, SEQ ID NO:1565, SEQ ID NO:1567, SEQ ID NO:1569, SEQ ID NO:1571, SEQ ID NO:1572, SEQ ID NO:1573, SEQ ID NO:1574, and SEQ ID NO:1575.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1577, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1577. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1577 are provided in FIG. 55 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:1035, SEQ ID NO:1036, SEQ ID NO:1037, SEQ ID NO:1040, SEQ ID NO:1041, SEQ ID NO:1043, SEQ ID NO:1044, SEQ ID NO:1046, SEQ ID NO:1047, SEQ ID NO:1048, SEQ ID NO:1050, SEQ ID NO:1440, SEQ ID NO:1480, SEQ ID NO:1481, SEQ ID NO:1482, SEQ ID NO:1483, SEQ ID NO:1484, SEQ ID NO:1485, SEQ ID NO:1486, SEQ ID NO:1487, SEQ ID NO:1488, SEQ ID NO:1578, SEQ ID NO:1580, SEQ ID NO:1582, SEQ ID NO:1584, SEQ ID NO:1586, SEQ ID NO:1588, SEQ ID NO:1590, SEQ ID NO:1592, SEQ ID NO:1594, SEQ ID NO:1596, SEQ ID NO:1598, SEQ ID NO:1599, SEQ ID NO:1601, SEQ ID NO:1602, SEQ ID NO:1605, SEQ ID NO:1607, SEQ ID NO:1608, SEQ ID NO:1609, SEQ ID NO:1611, SEQ ID NO:1613, SEQ ID NO:1615, SEQ ID NO:1617, SEQ ID NO:1619, SEQ ID NO:1621, SEQ ID NO:1622, SEQ ID NO:1623, SEQ ID NO:1624, SEQ ID NO:1625, SEQ ID NO:1627, SEQ ID NO:1629, SEQ ID NO:1631, SEQ ID NO:1633, SEQ ID NO:1635, SEQ ID NO:1637, SEQ ID NO:1639, SEQ ID NO:1643, SEQ ID NO:1645, SEQ ID NO:1648, SEQ ID NO:1649, SEQ ID NO:1651, SEQ ID NO:1653.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1437, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1437. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1437 are provided in FIG. 56 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:173, SEQ ID NO:212, SEQ ID NO:361, SEQ ID NO:421, SEQ ID NO:443, SEQ ID NO:740, SEQ ID NO:744, SEQ ID NO:942, SEQ ID NO:1461.

In some cases, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide has an amino acid sequence with sequence similarity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:97, and preferably has at least 20%, e.g., 50%, 52%, 56%, 59%, 61%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:97. Amino acid sequences of polypeptides having greater than 20% sequence identity to the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO:1437 are provided in FIG. 57 and in the Sequence Listing. Examples of such polypeptides include SEQ ID NO:2010, SEQ ID NO:2011, SEQ ID NO:2013, SEQ ID NO:2015, and SEQ ID NO:2017

E. Other Sequences

It should be appreciated that a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can include additional amino acids that are not involved in low nitrogen tolerance-modulation, and thus such a polypeptide can be longer than would otherwise be the case. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can include a purification tag, a chloroplast transit peptide, a mitochondrial transit peptide, an amyloplast peptide, or a leader sequence added to the amino or carboxy terminus. In some embodiments, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide includes an amino acid sequence that functions as a reporter, e.g., a green fluorescent protein or yellow fluorescent protein.

III. Nucleic Acids

Nucleic acids described herein include nucleic acids that are effective to modulate low-nitrogen tolerance levels when transcribed in a plant or plant cell. Such nucleic acids include, without limitation, those that encode a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide and those that can be used to inhibit expression of low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide via a nucleic acid based method.

A. Nucleic Acids Encoding Low Nitrogen Tolerance-Modulating Polypeptides

Nucleic acids encoding low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides are described herein. Examples of such nucleic acids include SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:151, SEQ ID NO:165, SEQ ID NO:175, SEQ ID NO:185, SEQ ID NO:207, SEQ ID NO:217, SEQ ID NO:233, SEQ ID NO:245, SEQ ID NO:299, SEQ ID NO:331, SEQ ID NO:367, SEQ ID NO:509, SEQ ID NO:532, SEQ ID NO:555, SEQ ID NO:557, SEQ ID NO:592, SEQ ID NO:612, SEQ ID NO:645, SEQ ID NO:686, SEQ ID NO:729, SEQ ID NO:745, SEQ ID NO:768, SEQ ID NO:791, SEQ ID NO:823, SEQ ID NO:827, SEQ ID NO:852, SEQ ID NO:854, SEQ ID NO:890, SEQ ID NO:916, SEQ ID NO:943, SEQ ID NO:975, SEQ ID NO:981, SEQ ID NO:1053, SEQ ID NO:1098, SEQ ID NO:1111, SEQ ID NO:1115, SEQ ID NO:1156, SEQ ID NO:1158, SEQ ID NO:1165, SEQ ID NO:1184, SEQ ID NO:1193, SEQ ID NO:1209, SEQ ID NO:1273, SEQ ID NO:1301, SEQ ID NO:1341, SEQ ID NO:1384, SEQ ID NO:1408, SEQ ID NO:1427, SEQ ID NO:1462, SEQ ID NO:1490, SEQ ID NO:1509, SEQ ID NO:1524, SEQ ID NO:1536, SEQ ID NO:1553, and SEQ ID NO:1576, as described in more detail below. A nucleic acid also can be a fragment that is at least 40% (e.g., at least 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, or 99%) of the length of the full-length nucleic acid set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:151, SEQ ID NO:165, SEQ ID NO:175, SEQ ID NO:185, SEQ ID NO:207, SEQ ID NO:217, SEQ ID NO:233, SEQ ID NO:245, SEQ ID NO:299, SEQ ID NO:331, SEQ ID NO:367, SEQ ID NO:509, SEQ ID NO:532, SEQ ID NO:555, SEQ ID NO:557, SEQ ID NO:592, SEQ ID NO:612, SEQ ID NO:645, SEQ ID NO:686, SEQ ID NO:729, SEQ ID NO:745, SEQ ID NO:768, SEQ ID NO:791, SEQ ID NO:823, SEQ ID NO:827, SEQ ID NO:852, SEQ ID NO:854, SEQ ID NO:890, SEQ ID NO:916, SEQ ID NO:943, SEQ ID NO:975, SEQ ID NO:981, SEQ ID NO:1053, SEQ ID NO:1098, SEQ ID NO:1111, SEQ ID NO:1115, SEQ ID NO:1156, SEQ ID NO:1158, SEQ ID NO:1165, SEQ ID NO:1184, SEQ ID NO:1193, SEQ ID NO:1209, SEQ ID NO:1273, SEQ ID NO:1301, SEQ ID NO:1341, SEQ ID NO:1384, SEQ ID NO:1408, SEQ ID NO:1427, SEQ ID NO:1462, SEQ ID NO:1490, SEQ ID NO:1509, SEQ ID NO:1524, SEQ ID NO:1536, SEQ ID NO:1553, and SEQ ID NO:1576.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 48. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 48. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 48.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:76. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:76. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:76.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:96. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:96. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:96.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:99. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:99. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:99.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:151. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:151. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:151.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:165. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:165. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:165.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:175. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:175. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:175.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:185. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:185. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:185.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:207. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:207. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:207.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:217. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:217. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:217.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:233. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:233. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:233.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:245. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:245. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:245.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:299. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:299. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:299.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:331. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:331. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:331.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:367. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:367. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:367.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:509. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:509. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:509.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:532. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:532. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:532.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:555. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:555. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:555.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:557. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:557. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:557.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:592. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:592. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:592.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:612. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:612. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:612.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:645. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:645. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:645.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:686. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:686. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:686.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:729. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:729. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:729.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:745. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:745. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:745.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:768. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:768. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:768.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:791. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:791. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:791.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:823. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:823. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:823.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:827. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:827. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:827.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:852. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:852. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:852.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:854. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:854. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:854.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:890. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:890. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:890.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:916. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:916. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:916.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:943. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:943. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:943.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:975. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:975. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:975.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:981. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:981. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:981.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1034. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1034. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1034.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1053. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1053. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1053.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1098. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1098. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1098.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1111. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1111. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1111.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1115. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1115. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1115.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1156. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1156. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1156.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1158. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1158. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1158.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1165. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1165. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1165.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1184. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1184. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1184.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1193. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1193. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1193.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1209. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1209. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1209.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1273. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1273. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1273.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1301. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1301. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1301.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1341. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1341. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1341.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1384. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1384. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1384.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1408. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1408. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1408.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1427. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1427. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1427.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1462. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1462. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1462.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1490. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1490. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1490.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1509. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1509. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1509.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1524. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1524. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1524.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1536. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1536. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1536.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1553. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1553. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1553.

A low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can comprise the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1576. Alternatively, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can be a variant of the nucleic acid having the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1576. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating nucleic acid can have a nucleotide sequence with at least 80% sequence identity, e.g., 81%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity, to the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1576.

Isolated nucleic acid molecules can be produced by standard techniques. For example, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques can be used to obtain an isolated nucleic acid containing a nucleotide sequence described herein. PCR can be used to amplify specific sequences from DNA as well as RNA, including sequences from total genomic DNA or total cellular RNA. Various PCR methods are described, for example, in PCR Primer: A Laboratory Manual, Dieffenbach and Dveksler, eds., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 1995. Generally, sequence information from the ends of the region of interest or beyond is employed to design oligonucleotide primers that are identical or similar in sequence to opposite strands of the template to be amplified. Various PCR strategies also are available by which site-specific nucleotide sequence modifications can be introduced into a template nucleic acid. Isolated nucleic acids also can be chemically synthesized, either as a single nucleic acid molecule (e.g., using automated DNA synthesis in the 3′ to 5′ direction using phosphoramidite technology) or as a series of oligonucleotides. For example, one or more pairs of long oligonucleotides (e.g., >100 nucleotides) can be synthesized that contain the desired sequence, with each pair containing a short segment of complementarity (e.g., about 15 nucleotides) such that a duplex is formed when the oligonucleotide pair is annealed. DNA polymerase is used to extend the oligonucleotides, resulting in a single, double-stranded nucleic acid molecule per oligonucleotide pair, which then can be ligated into a vector. Isolated nucleic acids of the invention also can be obtained by mutagenesis of, e.g., a naturally occurring DNA.

B. Use of Nucleic Acids to Modulate Expression of Polypeptides

i. Expression of a Low Nitrogen Tolerance-Modulating Polypeptide

A nucleic acid encoding one of the low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides described herein can be used to express the polypeptide in a plant species of interest, typically by transforming a plant cell with a nucleic acid having the coding sequence for the polypeptide operably linked in sense orientation to one or more regulatory regions. It will be appreciated that because of the degeneracy of the genetic code, a number of nucleic acids can encode a particular low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide; i.e., for many amino acids, there is more than one nucleotide triplet that serves as the codon for the amino acid. Thus, codons in the coding sequence for a given low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide can be modified such that optimal expression in a particular plant species is obtained, using appropriate codon bias tables for that species.

In some cases, expression of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide inhibits one or more functions of an endogenous polypeptide. For example, a nucleic acid that encodes a dominant negative polypeptide can be used to inhibit protein function. A dominant negative polypeptide typically is mutated or truncated relative to an endogenous wild type polypeptide, and its presence in a cell inhibits one or more functions of the wild type polypeptide in that cell, i.e., the dominant negative polypeptide is genetically dominant and confers a loss of function. The mechanism by which a dominant negative polypeptide confers such a phenotype can vary but often involves a protein-protein interaction or a protein-DNA interaction. For example, a dominant negative polypeptide can be an enzyme that is truncated relative to a native wild type enzyme, such that the truncated polypeptide retains domains involved in binding a first protein but lacks domains involved in binding a second protein. The truncated polypeptide is thus unable to properly modulate the activity of the second protein. See, e.g., US 2007/0056058. As another example, a point mutation that results in a non-conservative amino acid substitution in a catalytic domain can result in a dominant negative polypeptide. See, e.g., US 2005/032221. As another example, a dominant negative polypeptide can be a transcription factor that is truncated relative to a native wild type transcription factor, such that the truncated polypeptide retains the DNA binding domain(s) but lacks the activation domain(s). Such a truncated polypeptide can inhibit the wild type transcription factor from binding DNA, thereby inhibiting transcription activation.

ii. Inhibition of Expression of a Low Nitrogen Tolerance-Modulating Polypeptide

Polynucleotides and recombinant constructs described herein can be used to inhibit expression of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide in a plant species of interest. See, e.g., Matzke and Birchler, Nature Reviews Genetics 6:24-35 (2005); Akashi et al., Nature Reviews Mol. Cell. Biology 6:413-422 (2005); Mittal, Nature Reviews Genetics 5:355-365 (2004); Dorsett and Tuschl, Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 3: 318-329 (2004); and Nature Reviews RNA interference collection, October 2005 at nature.com/reviews/focus/mai. A number of nucleic acid based methods, including antisense RNA, ribozyme directed RNA cleavage, post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS), e.g., RNA interference (RNAi), and transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) are known to inhibit gene expression in plants. Suitable polynucleotides include full-length nucleic acids encoding low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides or fragments of such full-length nucleic acids. In some embodiments, a complement of the full-length nucleic acid or a fragment thereof can be used. Typically, a fragment is at least 10 nucleotides, e.g., at least 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 35, 40, 50, 80, 100, 200, 500 nucleotides or more. Generally, higher homology can be used to compensate for the use of a shorter sequence.

Antisense technology is one well-known method. In this method, a nucleic acid of a gene to be repressed is cloned and operably linked to a regulatory region and a transcription termination sequence so that the antisense strand of RNA is transcribed. The recombinant construct is then transformed into plants, as described herein, and the antisense strand of RNA is produced. The nucleic acid need not be the entire sequence of the gene to be repressed, but typically will be substantially complementary to at least a portion of the sense strand of the gene to be repressed.

In another method, a nucleic acid can be transcribed into a ribozyme, or catalytic RNA, that affects expression of an mRNA. See, U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,885. Ribozymes can be designed to specifically pair with virtually any target RNA and cleave the phosphodiester backbone at a specific location, thereby functionally inactivating the target RNA. Heterologous nucleic acids can encode ribozymes designed to cleave particular mRNA transcripts, thus preventing expression of a polypeptide. Hammerhead ribozymes are useful for destroying particular mRNAs, although various ribozymes that cleave mRNA at site-specific recognition sequences can be used. Hammerhead ribozymes cleave mRNAs at locations dictated by flanking regions that form complementary base pairs with the target mRNA. The sole requirement is that the target RNA contains a 5′-UG-3′ nucleotide sequence. The construction and production of hammerhead ribozymes is known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,678 and WO 02/46449 and references cited therein. Hammerhead ribozyme sequences can be embedded in a stable RNA such as a transfer RNA (tRNA) to increase cleavage efficiency in vivo. Perriman et al. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 92(13):6175-6179; de Feyter and Gaudron, Methods in Molecular Biology, Vol. 74, Chapter 43, “Expressing Ribozymes in Plants”, Edited by Turner, P. C., Humana Press Inc., Totowa, N.J. RNA endoribonucleases which have been described, such as the one that occurs naturally in Tetrahymena thermophile, can be useful. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,987,071 and 6,423,885.

PTGS, e.g., RNAi, can also be used to inhibit the expression of a gene. For example, a construct can be prepared that includes a sequence that is transcribed into an RNA that can anneal to itself, e.g., a double stranded RNA having a stem-loop structure. In some embodiments, one strand of the stem portion of a double stranded RNA comprises a sequence that is similar or identical to the sense coding sequence or a fragment thereof of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide, and that is from about 10 nucleotides to about 2,500 nucleotides in length. The length of the sequence that is similar or identical to the sense coding sequence can be from 10 nucleotides to 500 nucleotides, from 15 nucleotides to 300 nucleotides, from 20 nucleotides to 100 nucleotides, or from 25 nucleotides to 100 nucleotides. The other strand of the stem portion of a double stranded RNA comprises a sequence that is similar or identical to the antisense strand or a fragment thereof of the coding sequence of the low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide, and can have a length that is shorter, the same as, or longer than the corresponding length of the sense sequence. In some cases, one strand of the stem portion of a double stranded RNA comprises a sequence that is similar or identical to the 3′ or 5′ untranslated region, or a fragment thereof, of an mRNA encoding a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide, and the other strand of the stem portion of the double stranded RNA comprises a sequence that is similar or identical to the sequence that is complementary to the 3′ or 5′ untranslated region, respectively, or a fragment thereof, of the mRNA encoding the low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide. In other embodiments, one strand of the stem portion of a double stranded RNA comprises a sequence that is similar or identical to the sequence of an intron, or a fragment thereof, in the pre-mRNA encoding a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide, and the other strand of the stem portion comprises a sequence that is similar or identical to the sequence that is complementary to the sequence of the intron, or a fragment thereof, in the pre-mRNA.

The loop portion of a double stranded RNA can be from 3 nucleotides to 5,000 nucleotides, e.g., from 3 nucleotides to 25 nucleotides, from 15 nucleotides to 1,000 nucleotides, from 20 nucleotides to 500 nucleotides, or from 25 nucleotides to 200 nucleotides. The loop portion of the RNA can include an intron or a fragment thereof. A double stranded RNA can have zero, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more stem-loop structures.

A construct including a sequence that is operably linked to a regulatory region and a transcription termination sequence, and that is transcribed into an RNA that can form a double stranded RNA, is transformed into plants as described herein. Methods for using RNAi to inhibit the expression of a gene are known to those of skill in the art. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,034,323; 6,326,527; 6,452,067; 6,573,099; 6,753,139; and 6,777,588. See also WO 97/01952; WO 98/53083; WO 99/32619; WO 98/36083; and U.S. Patent Publications 20030175965, 20030175783, 20040214330, and 20030180945.

Constructs containing regulatory regions operably linked to nucleic acid molecules in sense orientation can also be used to inhibit the expression of a gene. The transcription product can be similar or identical to the sense coding sequence, or a fragment thereof, of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide. The transcription product also can be unpolyadenylated, lack a 5′ cap structure, or contain an unspliceable intron. Methods of inhibiting gene expression using a full-length cDNA as well as a partial cDNA sequence are known in the art. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,020.

In some embodiments, a construct containing a nucleic acid having at least one strand that is a template for both sense and antisense sequences that are complementary to each other is used to inhibit the expression of a gene. The sense and antisense sequences can be part of a larger nucleic acid molecule or can be part of separate nucleic acid molecules having sequences that are not complementary. The sense or antisense sequence can be a sequence that is identical or complementary to the sequence of an mRNA, the 3′ or 5′ untranslated region of an mRNA, or an intron in a pre-mRNA encoding a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide, or a fragment of such sequences. In some embodiments, the sense or antisense sequence is identical or complementary to a sequence of the regulatory region that drives transcription of the gene encoding a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide. In each case, the sense sequence is the sequence that is complementary to the antisense sequence.

The sense and antisense sequences can be any length greater than about 10 nucleotides (e.g., 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, or more nucleotides). For example, an antisense sequence can be 21 or 22 nucleotides in length. Typically, the sense and antisense sequences range in length from about 15 nucleotides to about 30 nucleotides, e.g., from about 18 nucleotides to about 28 nucleotides, or from about 21 nucleotides to about 25 nucleotides.

In some embodiments, an antisense sequence is a sequence complementary to an mRNA sequence, or a fragment thereof, encoding a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide described herein. The sense sequence complementary to the antisense sequence can be a sequence present within the mRNA of the low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide. Typically, sense and antisense sequences are designed to correspond to a 15-30 nucleotide sequence of a target mRNA such that the level of that target mRNA is reduced.

In some embodiments, a construct containing a nucleic acid having at least one strand that is a template for more than one sense sequence (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more sense sequences) can be used to inhibit the expression of a gene. Likewise, a construct containing a nucleic acid having at least one strand that is a template for more than one antisense sequence (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more antisense sequences) can be used to inhibit the expression of a gene. For example, a construct can contain a nucleic acid having at least one strand that is a template for two sense sequences and two antisense sequences. The multiple sense sequences can be identical or different, and the multiple antisense sequences can be identical or different. For example, a construct can have a nucleic acid having one strand that is a template for two identical sense sequences and two identical antisense sequences that are complementary to the two identical sense sequences. Alternatively, an isolated nucleic acid can have one strand that is a template for (1) two identical sense sequences 20 nucleotides in length, (2) one antisense sequence that is complementary to the two identical sense sequences 20 nucleotides in length, (3) a sense sequence 30 nucleotides in length, and (4) three identical antisense sequences that are complementary to the sense sequence 30 nucleotides in length. The constructs provided herein can be designed to have any arrangement of sense and antisense sequences. For example, two identical sense sequences can be followed by two identical antisense sequences or can be positioned between two identical antisense sequences.

A nucleic acid having at least one strand that is a template for one or more sense and/or antisense sequences can be operably linked to a regulatory region to drive transcription of an RNA molecule containing the sense and/or antisense sequence(s). In addition, such a nucleic acid can be operably linked to a transcription terminator sequence, such as the terminator of the nopaline synthase (nos) gene. In some cases, two regulatory regions can direct transcription of two transcripts: one from the top strand, and one from the bottom strand. See, for example, Yan et al., Plant Physiol., 141:1508-1518 (2006). The two regulatory regions can be the same or different. The two transcripts can form double-stranded RNA molecules that induce degradation of the target RNA. In some cases, a nucleic acid can be positioned within a T-DNA or plant-derived transfer DNA (P-DNA) such that the left and right T-DNA border sequences, or the left and right border-like sequences of the P-DNA, flank or are on either side of the nucleic acid. See, US 2006/0265788. The nucleic acid sequence between the two regulatory regions can be from about 15 to about 300 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid sequence between the two regulatory regions is from about 15 to about 200 nucleotides in length, from about 15 to about 100 nucleotides in length, from about 15 to about 50 nucleotides in length, from about 18 to about 50 nucleotides in length, from about 18 to about 40 nucleotides in length, from about 18 to about 30 nucleotides in length, or from about 18 to about 25 nucleotides in length.

In some nucleic-acid based methods for inhibition of gene expression in plants, a suitable nucleic acid can be a nucleic acid analog. Nucleic acid analogs can be modified at the base moiety, sugar moiety, or phosphate backbone to improve, for example, stability, hybridization, or solubility of the nucleic acid. Modifications at the base moiety include deoxyuridine for deoxythymidine, and 5-methyl-2′-deoxycytidine and 5-bromo-2′-deoxycytidine for deoxycytidine. Modifications of the sugar moiety include modification of the 2′ hydroxyl of the ribose sugar to form 2′-O-methyl or 2′-O-allyl sugars. The deoxyribose phosphate backbone can be modified to produce morpholino nucleic acids, in which each base moiety is linked to a six-membered morpholino ring, or peptide nucleic acids, in which the deoxyphosphate backbone is replaced by a pseudopeptide backbone and the four bases are retained. See, for example, Summerton and Weller (1997) Antisense Nucleic Acid Drug Dev., 7:187-195; Hyrup et al. (1996) Bioorgan. Med. Chem., 4:5-23. In addition, the deoxyphosphate backbone can be replaced with, for example, a phosphorothioate or phosphorodithioate backbone, a phosphoroamidite, or an alkyl phosphotriester backbone.

C. Constructs/Vectors

Recombinant constructs provided herein can be used to transform plants or plant cells in order to modulate low-nitrogen tolerance levels. A recombinant nucleic acid construct can comprise a nucleic acid encoding a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide as described herein, operably linked to a regulatory region suitable for expressing the low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide in the plant or cell. Thus, a nucleic acid can comprise a coding sequence that encodes any of the low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides as set forth in SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:97, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:152, SEQ ID NO:166, SEQ ID NO:186, SEQ ID NO:208, SEQ ID NO:218, SEQ ID NO:234, SEQ ID NO:246, SEQ ID NO:300, SEQ ID NO:332, SEQ ID NO:368, SEQ ID NO:510, SEQ ID NO:533, SEQ ID NO:556, SEQ ID NO:558, SEQ ID NO:593, SEQ ID NO:613, SEQ ID NO:646, SEQ ID NO:687, SEQ ID NO:730, SEQ ID NO:746, SEQ ID NO:769, SEQ ID NO:792, SEQ ID NO:824, SEQ ID NO:828, SEQ ID NO:853, SEQ ID NO:855, SEQ ID NO:891, SEQ ID NO:917, SEQ ID NO:944, SEQ ID NO:976, SEQ ID NO:982, SEQ ID NO:1054, SEQ ID NO:1099, SEQ ID NO:1112, SEQ ID NO:1116, SEQ ID NO:1157, SEQ ID NO:1159, SEQ ID NO:1166, SEQ ID NO:1185, SEQ ID NO:1194, SEQ ID NO:1210, SEQ ID NO:1274, SEQ ID NO:1302, SEQ ID NO:1342, SEQ ID NO:1385, SEQ ID NO:1409, SEQ ID NO:1428, SEQ ID NO:1437, SEQ ID NO:1463, SEQ ID NO:1491, SEQ ID NO:1510, SEQ ID NO:1525, SEQ ID NO:1537, SEQ ID NO:1554, and SEQ ID NO:1577. Examples of nucleic acids encoding low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptides are set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:151, SEQ ID NO:165, SEQ ID NO:175, SEQ ID NO:185, SEQ ID NO:207, SEQ ID NO:217, SEQ ID NO:233, SEQ ID NO:245, SEQ ID NO:299, SEQ ID NO:331, SEQ ID NO:367, SEQ ID NO:509, SEQ ID NO:532, SEQ ID NO:555, SEQ ID NO:557, SEQ ID NO:592, SEQ ID NO:612, SEQ ID NO:645, SEQ ID NO:686, SEQ ID NO:729, SEQ ID NO:745, SEQ ID NO:768, SEQ ID NO:791, SEQ ID NO:823, SEQ ID NO:827, SEQ ID NO:852, SEQ ID NO:854, SEQ ID NO:890, SEQ ID NO:916, SEQ ID NO:943, SEQ ID NO:975, SEQ ID NO:981, SEQ ID NO:1053, SEQ ID NO:1098, SEQ ID NO:1111, SEQ ID NO:1115, SEQ ID NO:1156, SEQ ID NO:1158, SEQ ID NO:1165, SEQ ID NO:1184, SEQ ID NO:1193, SEQ ID NO:1209, SEQ ID NO:1273, SEQ ID NO:1301, SEQ ID NO:1341, SEQ ID NO:1384, SEQ ID NO:1408, SEQ ID NO:1427, SEQ ID NO:1462, SEQ ID NO:1490, SEQ ID NO:1509, SEQ ID NO:1524, SEQ ID NO:1536, SEQ ID NO:1553, and SEQ ID NO:1576. The low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide encoded by a recombinant nucleic acid can be a native low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide, or can be heterologous to the cell. In some cases, the recombinant construct contains a nucleic acid that inhibits expression of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide, operably linked to a regulatory region. Examples of suitable regulatory regions are described in the section entitled “Regulatory Regions.”

Vectors containing recombinant nucleic acid constructs such as those described herein also are provided. Suitable vector backbones include, for example, those routinely used in the art such as plasmids, viruses, artificial chromosomes, BACs, YACs, or PACs. Suitable expression vectors include, without limitation, plasmids and viral vectors derived from, for example, bacteriophage, baculoviruses, and retroviruses. Numerous vectors and expression systems are commercially available from such corporations as Novagen (Madison, Wis.), Clontech (Palo Alto, Calif.), Stratagene (La Jolla, Calif.), and Invitrogen/Life Technologies (Carlsbad, Calif.).

The vectors provided herein also can include, for example, origins of replication, scaffold attachment regions (SARs), and/or markers. A marker gene can confer a selectable phenotype on a plant cell. For example, a marker can confer biocide resistance, such as resistance to an antibiotic (e.g., kanamycin, G418, bleomycin, or hygromycin), or an herbicide (e.g., glyphosate, chlorsulfuron or phosphinothricin). In addition, an expression vector can include a tag sequence designed to facilitate manipulation or detection (e.g., purification or localization) of the expressed polypeptide. Tag sequences, such as luciferase, β-glucuronidase (GUS), green fluorescent protein (GFP), glutathione S-transferase (GST), polyhistidine, c-myc, hemagglutinin, or Flag™ tag (Kodak, New Haven, Conn.) sequences typically are expressed as a fusion with the encoded polypeptide. Such tags can be inserted anywhere within the polypeptide, including at either the carboxyl or amino terminus.

D. Regulatory Regions

The choice of regulatory regions to be included in a recombinant construct depends upon several factors, including, but not limited to, efficiency, selectability, inducibility, desired expression level, and cell- or tissue-preferential expression. It is a routine matter for one of skill in the art to modulate the expression of a coding sequence by appropriately selecting and positioning regulatory regions relative to the coding sequence. Transcription of a nucleic acid can be modulated in a similar manner.

Some suitable regulatory regions initiate transcription only, or predominantly, in certain cell types. Methods for identifying and characterizing regulatory regions in plant genomic DNA are known, including, for example, those described in the following references: Jordano et al. (1989) Plant Cell, 1:855-866; Bustos et al. (1989) Plant Cell, 1:839-854; Green et al. (1988) EMBO J., 7:4035-4044; Meier et al. (1991) Plant Cell, 3:309-316; and Zhang et al. (1996) Plant Physiology, 110:1069-1079.

Examples of various classes of regulatory regions are described below. Some of the regulatory regions indicated below as well as additional regulatory regions are described in more detail in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 60/505,689; 60/518,075; 60/544,771; 60/558,869; 60/583,691; 60/619,181; 60/637,140; 60/757,544; 60/776,307; 10/957,569; 11/058,689; 11/172,703; 11/208,308; 11/274,890; 60/583,609; 60/612,891; 11/097,589; 11/233,726; 11/408,791; 11/414,142; 10/950,321; 11/360,017; PCT/US05/011105; PCT/US05/23639; PCT/US05/034308; PCT/US05/034343; and PCT/US06/038236; PCT/US06/040572; and PCT/US07/62762.

For example, the sequences of regulatory regions p326, YP0144, YP0190, p13879, YP0050, p32449, 21876, YP0158, YP0214, YP0380, PT0848, PT0633, YP0128, YP0275, PT0660, PT0683, PT0758, PT0613, PT0672, PT0688, PT0837, YP0092, PT0676, PT0708, YP0396, YP0007, YP0111, YP0103, YP0028, YP0121, YP0008, YP0039, YP0115, YP0119, YP0120, YP0374, YP0101, YP0102, YP0110, YP0117, YP0137, YP0285, YP0212, YP0097, YP0107, YP0088, YP0143, YP0156, PT0650, PT0695, PT0723, PT0838, PT0879, PT0740, PT0535, PT0668, PT0886, PT0585, YP0381, YP0337, PT0710, YP0356, YP0385, YP0384, YP0286, YP0377, PD1367, PT0863, PT0829, PT0665, PT0678, YP0086, YP0188, YP0263, PT0743 and YP0096 are set forth in the sequence listing of PCT/US06/040572; the sequence of regulatory region PT0625 is set forth in the sequence listing of PCT/US05/034343; the sequences of regulatory regions PT0623, YP0388, YP0087, YP0093, YP0108, YP0022 and YP0080 are set forth in the sequence listing of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/172,703; the sequence of regulatory region PR0924 is set forth in the sequence listing of PCT/US07/62762; and the sequences of regulatory regions p530c10, pOsFIE2-2, pOsMEA, pOsYp102, and pOsYp285 are set forth in the sequence listing of PCT/US06/038236.

It will be appreciated that a regulatory region may meet criteria for one classification based on its activity in one plant species, and yet meet criteria for a different classification based on its activity in another plant species.

i. Broadly Expressing Promoters

A promoter can be said to be “broadly expressing” when it promotes transcription in many, but not necessarily all, plant tissues. For example, a broadly expressing promoter can promote transcription of an operably linked sequence in one or more of the shoot, shoot tip (apex), and leaves, but weakly or not at all in tissues such as roots or stems. As another example, a broadly expressing promoter can promote transcription of an operably linked sequence in one or more of the stem, shoot, shoot tip (apex), and leaves, but can promote transcription weakly or not at all in tissues such as reproductive tissues of flowers and developing seeds. Non-limiting examples of broadly expressing promoters that can be included in the nucleic acid constructs provided herein include the p326, YP0144, YP0190, p13879, YP0050, p32449, 21876, YP0158, YP0214, YP0380, PT0848, and PT0633 promoters. Additional examples include the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter, the mannopine synthase (MAS) promoter, the 1′ or 2′ promoters derived from T-DNA of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the figwort mosaic virus 34S promoter, actin promoters such as the rice actin promoter, and ubiquitin promoters such as the maize ubiquitin-1 promoter. In some cases, the CaMV 35S promoter is excluded from the category of broadly expressing promoters.

ii. Root Promoters

Root-active promoters confer transcription in root tissue, e.g., root endodermis, root epidermis, or root vascular tissues. In some embodiments, root-active promoters are root-preferential promoters, i.e., confer transcription only or predominantly in root tissue. Root-preferential promoters include the YP0128, YP0275, PT0625, PT0660, PT0683, and PT0758 promoters. Other root-preferential promoters include the PT0613, PT0672, PT0688, and PT0837 promoters, which drive transcription primarily in root tissue and to a lesser extent in ovules and/or seeds. Other examples of root-preferential promoters include the root-specific subdomains of the CaMV 35S promoter (Lam et al. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 86:7890-7894), root cell specific promoters reported by Conkling et al. (1990) Plant Physiol., 93:1203-1211, and the tobacco RD2 promoter.

iii. Maturing Endosperm Promoters

In some embodiments, promoters that drive transcription in maturing endosperm can be useful. Transcription from a maturing endosperm promoter typically begins after fertilization and occurs primarily in endosperm tissue during seed development and is typically highest during the cellularization phase. Most suitable are promoters that are active predominantly in maturing endosperm, although promoters that are also active in other tissues can sometimes be used. Non-limiting examples of maturing endosperm promoters that can be included in the nucleic acid constructs provided herein include the napin promoter, the Arcelin-5 promoter, the phaseolin promoter (Bustos et al. (1989) Plant Cell, 1(9):839-853), the soybean trypsin inhibitor promoter (Riggs et al. (1989) Plant Cell, 1(6):609-621), the ACP promoter (Baerson et al. (1993) Plant Mol. Biol., 22(2):255-267), the stearoyl-ACP desaturase promoter (Slocombe et al. (1994) Plant Physiol., 104(4):167-176), the soybean α′ subunit of β-conglycinin promoter (Chen et al. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 83:8560-8564), the oleosin promoter (Hong et al. (1997) Plant Mol. Biol., 34(3):549-555), and zein promoters, such as the 15 kD zein promoter, the 16 kD zein promoter, 19 kD zein promoter, 22 kD zein promoter and 27 kD zein promoter. Also suitable are the Osgt-1 promoter from the rice glutelin-1 gene (Zheng et al. (1993) Mol. Cell. Biol., 13:5829-5842), the beta-amylase promoter, and the barley hordein promoter. Other maturing endosperm promoters include the YP0092, PT0676, and PT0708 promoters.

iv. Ovary Tissue Promoters

Promoters that are active in ovary tissues such as the ovule wall and mesocarp can also be useful, e.g., a polygalacturonidase promoter, the banana TRX promoter, the melon actin promoter, YP0396, and PT0623. Examples of promoters that are active primarily in ovules include YP0007, YP0111, YP0092, YP0103, YP0028, YP0121, YP0008, YP0039, YP0115, YP0119, YP0120, and YP0374.

v. Embryo Sac/Early Endosperm Promoters

To achieve expression in embryo sac/early endosperm, regulatory regions can be used that are active in polar nuclei and/or the central cell, or in precursors to polar nuclei, but not in egg cells or precursors to egg cells. Most suitable are promoters that drive expression only or predominantly in polar nuclei or precursors thereto and/or the central cell. A pattern of transcription that extends from polar nuclei into early endosperm development can also be found with embryo sac/early endosperm-preferential promoters, although transcription typically decreases significantly in later endosperm development during and after the cellularization phase. Expression in the zygote or developing embryo typically is not present with embryo sac/early endosperm promoters.

Promoters that may be suitable include those derived from the following genes: Arabidopsis viviparous-1 (see, GenBank No. U93215); Arabidopsis atmycl (see, Urao (1996) Plant Mol. Biol., 32:571-57; Conceicao (1994) Plant, 5:493-505); Arabidopsis FIE (GenBank No. AF129516); Arabidopsis MEA; Arabidopsis FIS2 (GenBank No. AF096096); and FIE 1.1 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,906,244). Other promoters that may be suitable include those derived from the following genes: maize MAC1 (see, Sheridan (1996) Genetics, 142:1009-1020); maize Cat3 (see, GenBank No. L05934; Abler (1993) Plant Mol. Biol., 22:10131-1038). Other promoters include the following Arabidopsis promoters: YP0039, YP0101, YP0102, YP0110, YP0117, YP0119, YP0137, DME, YP0285, and YP0212. Other promoters that may be useful include the following rice promoters: p530c10, pOsFIE2-2, pOsMEA, pOsYp102, and pOsYp285.

vi. Embryo Promoters

Regulatory regions that preferentially drive transcription in zygotic cells following fertilization can provide embryo-preferential expression. Most suitable are promoters that preferentially drive transcription in early stage embryos prior to the heart stage, but expression in late stage and maturing embryos is also suitable. Embryo-preferential promoters include the barley lipid transfer protein (Ltp1) promoter (Plant Cell Rep (2001) 20:647-654), YP0097, YP0107, YP0088, YP0143, YP0156, PT0650, PT0695, PT0723, PT0838, PT0879, and PT0740.

vii. Photosynthetic Tissue Promoters

Promoters active in photosynthetic tissue confer transcription in green tissues such as leaves and stems. Most suitable are promoters that drive expression only or predominantly in such tissues. Examples of such promoters include the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RbcS) promoters such as the RbcS promoter from eastern larch (Larix laricina), the pine cab6 promoter (Yamamoto et al. (1994) Plant Cell Physiol., 35:773-778), the Cab-1 promoter from wheat (Fejes et al. (1990) Plant Mol. Biol., 15:921-932), the CAB-1 promoter from spinach (Lubberstedt et al. (1994) Plant Physiol., 104:997-1006), the cab1R promoter from rice (Luan et al. (1992) Plant Cell, 4:971-981), the pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) promoter from corn (Matsuoka et al. (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90:9586-9590), the tobacco Lhcb1*2 promoter (Cerdan et al. (1997) Plant Mol. Biol., 33:245-255), the Arabidopsis thaliana SUC2 sucrose-H+ symporter promoter (Truernit et al. (1995) Planta, 196:564-570), and thylakoid membrane protein promoters from spinach (psaD, psaF, psaE, PC, FNR, atpC, atpD, cab, rbcS). Other photosynthetic tissue promoters include PT0535, PT0668, PT0886, YP0144, YP0380 and PT0585.

viii. Vascular Tissue Promoters

Examples of promoters that have high or preferential activity in vascular bundles include YP0087, YP0093, YP0108, YP0022, and YP0080. Other vascular tissue-preferential promoters include the glycine-rich cell wall protein GRP 1.8 promoter (Keller and Baumgartner (1991) Plant Cell, 3(10):1051-1061), the Commelina yellow mottle virus (CoYMV) promoter (Medberry et al. (1992) Plant Cell, 4(2):185-192), and the rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) promoter (Dai et al. (2004) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 101(2):687-692).

ix. Inducible Promoters

Inducible promoters confer transcription in response to external stimuli such as chemical agents or environmental stimuli. For example, inducible promoters can confer transcription in response to hormones such as giberellic acid or ethylene, or in response to light or drought. Examples of drought-inducible promoters include YP0380, PT0848, YP0381, YP0337, PT0633, YP0374, PT0710, YP0356, YP0385, YP0396, YP0388, YP0384, PT0688, YP0286, YP0377, PD1367, and PD0901. Examples of nitrogen-inducible promoters include PT0863, PT0829, PT0665, and PT0886. Examples of shade-inducible promoters include PR0924 and PT0678. An example of a promoter induced by salt is rd29A (Kasuga et al. (1999) Nature Biotech 17: 287-291).

x. Basal Promoters

A basal promoter is the minimal sequence necessary for assembly of a transcription complex required for transcription initiation. Basal promoters frequently include a “TATA box” element that may be located between about 15 and about 35 nucleotides upstream from the site of transcription initiation. Basal promoters also may include a “CCAAT box” element (typically the sequence CCAAT) and/or a GGGCG sequence, which can be located between about 40 and about 200 nucleotides, typically about 60 to about 120 nucleotides, upstream from the transcription start site.

xi. Stem Promoters

A stem promoter may be specific to one or more stem tissues or specific to stem and other plant parts. Stem promoters may have high or preferential activity in, for example, epidermis and cortex, vascular cambium, procambium, or xylem. Examples of stem promoters include YP0018 which is disclosed in US20060015970 and CryIA(b) and CryIA(c) (Braga et al. 2003, Journal of New Seeds 5:209-221).

xii. Other Promoters

Other classes of promoters include, but are not limited to, shoot-preferential, callus-preferential, trichome cell-preferential, guard cell-preferential such as PT0678, tuber-preferential, parenchyma cell-preferential, and senescence-preferential promoters. Promoters designated YP0086, YP0188, YP0263, PT0758, PT0743, PT0829, YP0119, and YP0096, as described in the above-referenced patent applications, may also be useful.

xiii. Other Regulatory Regions

A 5′ untranslated region (UTR) can be included in nucleic acid constructs described herein. A 5′ UTR is transcribed, but is not translated, and lies between the start site of the transcript and the translation initiation codon and may include the +1 nucleotide. A 3′ UTR can be positioned between the translation termination codon and the end of the transcript. UTRs can have particular functions such as increasing mRNA stability or attenuating translation. Examples of 3′ UTRs include, but are not limited to, polyadenylation signals and transcription termination sequences, e.g., a nopaline synthase termination sequence.

It will be understood that more than one regulatory region may be present in a recombinant polynucleotide, e.g., introns, enhancers, upstream activation regions, transcription terminators, and inducible elements. Thus, for example, more than one regulatory region can be operably linked to the sequence of a polynucleotide encoding a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide.

Regulatory regions, such as promoters for endogenous genes, can be obtained by chemical synthesis or by subcloning from a genomic DNA that includes such a regulatory region. A nucleic acid comprising such a regulatory region can also include flanking sequences that contain restriction enzyme sites that facilitate subsequent manipulation.

IV. Transgenic Plants and Plant Cells

A. Transformation

The invention also features transgenic plant cells and plants comprising at least one recombinant nucleic acid construct described herein. A plant or plant cell can be transformed by having a construct integrated into its genome, i.e., can be stably transformed. Stably transformed cells typically retain the introduced nucleic acid with each cell division. A plant or plant cell can also be transiently transformed such that the construct is not integrated into its genome. Transiently transformed cells typically lose all or some portion of the introduced nucleic acid construct with each cell division such that the introduced nucleic acid cannot be detected in daughter cells after a sufficient number of cell divisions. Both transiently transformed and stably transformed transgenic plants and plant cells can be useful in the methods described herein.

Transgenic plant cells used in methods described herein can constitute part or all of a whole plant. Such plants can be grown in a manner suitable for the species under consideration, either in a growth chamber, a greenhouse, or in a field. Transgenic plants can be bred as desired for a particular purpose, e.g., to introduce a recombinant nucleic acid into other lines, to transfer a recombinant nucleic acid to other species, or for further selection of other desirable traits. Alternatively, transgenic plants can be propagated vegetatively for those species amenable to such techniques. As used herein, a transgenic plant also refers to progeny of an initial transgenic plant provided the progeny inherits the transgene. Seeds produced by a transgenic plant can be grown and then selfed (or outcrossed and selfed) to obtain seeds homozygous for the nucleic acid construct.

Transgenic plants can be grown in suspension culture, or tissue or organ culture. For the purposes of this invention, solid and/or liquid tissue culture techniques can be used. When using solid medium, transgenic plant cells can be placed directly onto the medium or can be placed onto a filter that is then placed in contact with the medium. When using liquid medium, transgenic plant cells can be placed onto a flotation device, e.g., a porous membrane that contacts the liquid medium. A solid medium can be, for example, Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing agar and a suitable concentration of an auxin, e.g., 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and a suitable concentration of a cytokinin, e.g., kinetin.

When transiently transformed plant cells are used, a reporter sequence encoding a reporter polypeptide having a reporter activity can be included in the transformation procedure and an assay for reporter activity or expression can be performed at a suitable time after transformation. A suitable time for conducting the assay typically is about 1-21 days after transformation, e.g., about 1-14 days, about 1-7 days, or about 1-3 days. The use of transient assays is particularly convenient for rapid analysis in different species, or to confirm expression of a heterologous low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide whose expression has not previously been confirmed in particular recipient cells.

Techniques for introducing nucleic acids into monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants are known in the art, and include, without limitation, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, viral vector-mediated transformation, electroporation and particle gun transformation, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,538,880; 5,204,253; 6,329,571 and 6,013,863. If a cell or cultured tissue is used as the recipient tissue for transformation, plants can be regenerated from transformed cultures if desired, by techniques known to those skilled in the art.

B. Screening/Selection

A population of transgenic plants can be screened and/or selected for those members of the population that have a trait or phenotype conferred by expression of the transgene. For example, a population of progeny of a single transformation event can be screened for those plants having a desired level of expression of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide or nucleic acid. Physical and biochemical methods can be used to identify expression levels. These include Southern analysis or PCR amplification for detection of a polynucleotide; Northern blots, S1 RNase protection, primer-extension, or RT-PCR amplification for detecting RNA transcripts; enzymatic assays for detecting enzyme or ribozyme activity of polypeptides and polynucleotides; and protein gel electrophoresis, Western blots, immunoprecipitation, and enzyme-linked immunoassays to detect polypeptides. Other techniques such as in situ hybridization, enzyme staining, and immunostaining also can be used to detect the presence or expression of polypeptides and/or polynucleotides. Methods for performing all of the referenced techniques are known. As an alternative, a population of plants comprising independent transformation events can be screened for those plants having a desired trait, such as a modulated level of low-nitrogen tolerance. Selection and/or screening can be carried out over one or more generations, and/or in more than one geographic location. In some cases, transgenic plants can be grown and selected under conditions which induce a desired phenotype or are otherwise necessary to produce a desired phenotype in a transgenic plant. In addition, selection and/or screening can be applied during a particular developmental stage in which the phenotype is expected to be exhibited by the plant. Selection and/or screening can be carried out to choose those transgenic plants having a statistically significant difference in low nitrogen tolerance level relative to a control plant that lacks the transgene. Selected or screened transgenic plants have an altered phenotype as compared to a corresponding control plant, as described in the “Transgenic Plant Phenotypes” section herein.

C. Plant Species

The polynucleotides and vectors described herein can be used to transform a number of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants and plant cell systems, including species from one of the following families: Acanthaceae, Alliaceae, Alstroemeriaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Apocynaceae, Arecaceae, Asteraceae, Berberidaceae, Bixaceae, Brassicaceae, Bromeliaceae, Cannabaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Cephalotaxaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Colchicaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Ephedraceae, Erythroxylaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Linaceae, Lycopodiaceae, Malvaceae, Melanthiaceae, Musaceae, Myrtaceae, Nyssaceae, Papaveraceae, Pinaceae, Plantaginaceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae, Rubiaceae, Salicaceae, Sapindaceae, Solanaceae, Taxaceae, Theaceae, or Vitaceae.

Suitable species may include members of the genus Abelmoschus, Abies, Acer, Agrostis, Allium, Alstroemeria, Ananas, Andrographis, Andropogon, Artemisia, Arundo, Atropa, Berberis, Beta, Bixa, Brassica, Calendula, Camellia, Camptotheca, Cannabis, Capsicum, Carthamus, Catharanthus, Cephalotaxus, Chrysanthemum, Cinchona, Citrullus, Coffea, Colchicum, Coleus, Cucumis, Cucurbita, Cynodon, Datura, Dianthus, Digitalis, Dioscorea, Elaeis, Ephedra, Erianthus, Erythroxylum, Eucalyptus, Festuca, Fragaria, Galanthus, Glycine, Gossypium, Helianthus, Hevea, Hordeum, Hyoscyamus, Jatropha, Lactuca, Linum, Lolium, Lupinus, Lycopersicon, Lycopodium, Manihot, Medicago, Mentha, Miscanthus, Musa, Nicotiana, Oryza, Panicum, Papaver, Parthenium, Pennisetum, Petunia, Phalaris, Phleum, Pinus, Poa, Poinsettia, Populus, Rauwolfia, Ricinus, Rosa, Saccharum, Salix, Sanguinaria, Scopolia, Secale, Solanum, Sorghum, Spartina, Spinacea, Tanacetum, Taxus, Theobroma, Triticosecale, Triticum, Uniola, Veratrum, Vinca, Vitis, and Zea.

Suitable species include Panicum spp. or hybrid thereof, Sorghum spp. or hybrid thereof, sudangrass, Miscanthus spp. or hybrid thereof, Saccharum spp. or hybrid thereof, Erianthus spp., Populus spp., Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem), Pennisetum purpureum (elephant grass)) or hybrid thereof (e.g., Pennisetum purpureum×Pennisetum typhoidum), Phalaris arundinacea (reed canarygrass), Cynodon dactylon (bermudagrass), Festuca arundinacea (tall fescue), Spartina pectinata (prairie cord-grass), Medicago sativa (alfalfa), Arundo donax (giant reed) or hybrid thereof, Secale cereale (rye), Salix spp. (willow), Eucalyptus spp. (eucalyptus), Triticosecale (triticum—wheat×rye), Tripsicum dactyloides (Eastern gammagrass), Leymus cinereus (basin wildrye), Leymus condensatus (giant wildrye) and bamboo.

In some embodiments, a suitable species can be a wild, weedy, or cultivated sorghum species such as, but not limited to, Sorghum almum, Sorghum amplum, Sorghum angustum, Sorghum arundinaceum, Sorghum bicolor (such as bicolor, guinea, caudatum, kafir, and durra), Sorghum brachypodum, Sorghum bulbosum, Sorghum burmahicum, Sorghum controversum, Sorghum drummondii, Sorghum ecarinatum, Sorghum exstans, Sorghum grande, Sorghum halepense, Sorghum interjectum, Sorghum intrans, Sorghum laxiflorum, Sorghum leiocladum, Sorghum macrospermum, Sorghum matarankense, Sorghum miliaceum, Sorghum nigrum, Sorghum nitidum, Sorghum plumosum, Sorghum propinquum, Sorghum purpureosericeum, Sorghum stipoideum, Sorghum sudanensese, Sorghum timorense, Sorghum trichocladum, Sorghum versicolor, Sorghum virgatum, Sorghum vulgare, or hybrids such as Sorghum×almum, Sorghum×sudangrass or Sorghum×drummondii.

Suitable species also include Helianthus annuus (sunflower), Carthamus tinctorius (safflower), Jatropha curcas (jatropha), Ricinus communis (castor), Elaeis guineensis (palm), Linum usitatissimum (flax), and Brassica juncea.

Suitable species also include Beta vulgaris (sugarbeet), and Manihot esculenta (cassava).

Suitable species also include Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato), Lactuca sativa (lettuce), Musa paradisiaca (banana), Solanum tuberosum (potato), Brassica oleracea (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts), Camellia sinensis (tea), Fragaria ananassa (strawberry), Theobroma cacao (cocoa), Coffea arabica (coffee), Vitis vinifera (grape), Ananas comosus (pineapple), Capsicum annum (hot & sweet pepper), Allium cepa (onion), Cucumis melo (melon), Cucumis sativus (cucumber), Cucurbita maxima (squash), Cucurbita moschata (squash), Spinacea oleracea (spinach), Citrullus lanatus (watermelon), Abelmoschus esculentus (okra), and Solanum melongena (eggplant).

Suitable species also include Papaver somniferum (opium poppy), Papaver orientale, Taxus baccata, Taxus brevifolia, Artemisia annua, Cannabis sativa, Camptotheca acuminate, Catharanthus roseus, Vinca rosea, Cinchona officinalis, Colchicum autumnale, Veratrum californica, Digitalis lanata, Digitalis purpurea, Dioscorea spp., Andrographis paniculata, Atropa belladonna, Datura stomonium, Berberis spp., Cephalotaxus spp., Ephedra sinica, Ephedra spp., Erythroxylum coca, Galanthus wornorii, Scopolia spp., Lycopodium serratum (=Huperzia serrata), Lycopodium spp., Rauwolfia serpentina, Rauwolfia spp., Sanguinaria canadensis, Hyoscyamus spp., Calendula officinalis, Chrysanthemum parthenium, Coleus forskohlii, and Tanacetum parthenium.

Suitable species also include Parthenium argentatum (guayule), Hevea spp. (rubber), Mentha spicata (mint), Mentha piperita (mint), Bixa orellana, and Alstroemeria spp.

Suitable species also include Rosa spp. (rose), Dianthus caryophyllus (carnation), Petunia spp. (petunia) and Poinsettia pulcherrima (poinsettia).

Suitable species also include Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco), Lupinus albus (lupin), Uniola paniculata (oats), bentgrass (Agrostis spp.), Populus tremuloides (aspen), Pinus spp. (pine), Abies spp. (fir), Acer spp. (maple), Hordeum vulgare (barley), Poa pratensis (bluegrass), Lolium spp. (ryegrass) and Phleum pratense (timothy).

Thus, the methods and compositions can be used over a broad range of plant species, including species from the dicot genera Brassica, Carthamus, Glycine, Gossypium, Helianthus, Jatropha, Parthenium, Populus, and Ricinus; and the monocot genera Elaeis, Festuca, Hordeum, Lolium, Oryza, Panicum, Pennisetum, Phleum, Poa, Saccharum, Secale, Sorghum, Triticosecale, Triticum, and Zea. In some embodiments, a plant is a member of the species Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), Sorghum bicolor (sorghum, sudangrass), Miscanthus giganteus (miscanthus), Saccharum sp. (energycane), Populus balsamifera (poplar), Zea mays (corn), Glycine max (soybean), Brassica napus (canola), Triticum aestivum (wheat), Gossypium hirsutum (cotton), Oryza sativa (rice), Helianthus annuus (sunflower), Medicago sativa (alfalfa), Beta vulgaris (sugarbeet), or Pennisetum glaucum (pearl millet).

In certain embodiments, the polynucleotides and vectors described herein can be used to transform a number of monocotyledonous and dicotyledenous plants and plant cell systems, wherein such plants are hybrids of different species or varieties of a specific species (e.g., Saccharum sp.×Miscanthus sp., Panicum virgatum×Panicum amarum, Panicum virgatum×Panicum amarulum, and Pennisetum purpureum×Pennisetum typhoidum).

D. Transgenic Plant Phenotypes

In some embodiments, a plant in which expression of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide is modulated can have increased levels of photosynthetic efficiency in seedlings. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide described herein can be expressed in a transgenic plant, resulting in increased levels of photosynthetic efficiency in growth conditions with low nitrogen sources. The level of photosynthetic efficiency can be increased by at least 0.25 percent, e.g., 0.25, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, or more than 60 percent, as compared to the level of photosynthetic efficiency in a corresponding control plant that does not express the transgene. In some embodiments, a plant in which expression of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide is modulated can have decreased levels of photosynthetic efficiency. The level of photosynthetic efficiency can be decreased by at least 0.25 percent, e.g., 0.25, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, or more than 35 percent, as compared to the level of photosynthetic in a corresponding control plant that does not express the transgene.

In some embodiments, a plant in which expression of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide is modulated can have increased or decreased levels of photosynthetic efficiency in one or more green tissues, e.g., leaves, stems, bulbs, flowers, fruits, young seeds. For example, the level of photosynthetic efficiency can be increased by at least 0.25 percent, e.g., 0.25, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, or more than 60 percent, as compared to the level of photosynthetic efficiency in a corresponding control plant that does not express the transgene. In some embodiments, a plant in which expression of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide is modulated can have decreased levels of photosynthetic efficiency in one or more green tissues. The level of photosynthetic efficiency can be decreased by at least 0.25 percent, e.g., 0.25, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, or more than 35 percent, as compared to the level of photosynthetic efficiency in a corresponding control plant that does not express the transgene.

Increases in photosynthetic efficiency in low-nitrogen growth conditions in such plants can provide improved plant growth in geographic locales where plant's intake of nitrogenous fertilizers is often insufficient. Decreases in photosynthetic efficiency, and hence less tolerance to low-nitrogen growth conditions in such plants can be useful for removing weeds and such from the environment, by applying to weeds and such. For example, a plant capable of inducing the decrease in photosynthetic efficiency can be prepared to apply for land improvements and such.

Typically, a difference in the level of photosynthetic efficiency in a transgenic plant or cell relative to a control plant or cell is considered statistically significant at p≦0.05 with an appropriate parametric or non-parametric statistic, e.g., Chi-square test, Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney test, or F-test. In some embodiments, a difference in the level of photosynthetic is statistically significant at p≦0.01, p≦0.005, or p≦0.001. A statistically significant difference in, for example, the level of photosynthetic efficiency in a transgenic plant compared to the amount in cells of a control plant indicates that the recombinant nucleic acid present in the transgenic plant results in altered levels of photosynthetic efficiency.

In some embodiments, a plant in which expression of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide is modulated can have increased growth rates in seedlings. For example, a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide described herein can be expressed in a transgenic plant, resulting in increased growth rate in growth conditions of limiting nitrogen sources. The growth rate can be increased by at least 2 percent, e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, or more than 60 percent, as compared to the growth rate in a corresponding control plant that does not express the transgene. In some embodiments, a plant in which expression of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide is modulated can have decreased growth rates. The growth rate can be decreased by at least 2 percent, e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, or more than 35 percent, as compared to the growth rate in a corresponding control plant that does not express the transgene. Growth rate can be measured in seedlings, developing, or mature plants and measured for periods of time such as about 1 hour, 3 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, 10 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, or the entire lifespan of a plant.

In some embodiments, a plant in which expression of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide is modulated can have increased or decreased growth rates in one or more vegetative and reproductive tissues, e.g., leaves, stems, flowers, bulbs, fruits, young seeds. For example, the growth rate can be increased by at least 2 percent, e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, or more than 60 percent, as compared to the growth rate in a corresponding control plant that does not express the transgene. In some embodiments, a plant in which expression of a low nitrogen tolerance-modulating polypeptide is modulated can have decreased levels of growth rate in one or more vegetative tissues. The growth rate can be decreased by at least 2 percent, e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, or more than 35 percent, as compared to the growth rate in a corresponding control plant that does not express the transgene.

Increases in growth rate in low-nitrogen conditions in such plants can provide improved plant growth and initial establishment in geographic locales where plant's intake of nitrogenous fertilizers is often insufficient. Decreases in growth rate, and hence less tolerance to low-nitrogen growth conditions in such plants can be useful for engineering slow-growing plants, by applying to ornamentals and such. For example, a plant capable of inducing the decrease in growth rate can be prepared to apply for land improvements and such.

Typically, a difference in the growth rate of a transgenic plant or cell relative to a control plant or cell is considered statistically significant at p≦0.05 with an appropriate parametric or non-parametric statistic, e.g., Chi-square test, Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney test, or F-test. In some embodiments, a difference in the growth rate is statistically significant at p≦0.01, p≦0.005, or p≦0.001. A statistically significant difference in, for example, the growth rate of a transgenic plant compared to the growth rate of a control plant indicates that the recombinant nucleic acid present in the transgenic plant results in altered growth rates.

The phenotype of a transgenic plant is evaluated relative to a control plant. A plant is said “not to express” a polypeptide when the plant exhibits less than 10%, e.g., less than 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.1%, 0.01%, or 0.001%, of the amount of polypeptide or mRNA encoding the polypeptide exhibited by the plant of interest. Expression can be evaluated using methods including, for example, RT-PCR, Northern blots, S1 RNase protection, primer extensions, Western blots, protein gel electrophoresis, immunoprecipitation, enzyme-linked immunoassays, chip assays, and mass spectrometry. It should be noted that if a polypeptide is expressed under the control of a tissue-preferential or broadly expressing promoter, expression can be evaluated in the entire plant or in a selected tissue. Similarly, if a polypeptide is expressed at a particular time, e.g., at a particular time in development or upon induction, expression can be evaluated selectively at a desired time period.

V. PLANT BREEDING

Genetic polymorphisms are discrete allelic sequence differences in a population. Typically, an allele that is present at 1% or greater is considered to be a genetic polymorphism. The discovery that polypeptides disclosed herein can modulate photosynthetic efficiency and/or nitrogen content is useful in plant breeding, because genetic polymorphisms exhibiting a degree of linkage with loci for such polypeptides are more likely to be correlated with variation in a low-nitrogen tolerance trait. For example, genetic polymorphisms linked to the loci for such polypeptides are more likely to be useful in marker-assisted breeding programs to create lines having a desired modulation in the low-nitrogen tolerance trait.

Thus, one aspect of the invention includes methods of identifying whether one or more genetic polymorphisms are associated with variation in a low-nitrogen tolerance trait. Such methods involve determining whether genetic polymorphisms in a given population exhibit linkage with the locus for one of the polypeptides depicted in FIGS. 1-57, SEQ ID NO:556, SEQ ID NO:853, SEQ ID NO:1157 and/or a functional homolog thereof, such as, but not limited to those identified in the Sequence Listing of this application. The correlation is measured between variation in the low-nitrogen tolerance trait in plants of the population and the presence of the genetic polymorphism(s) in plants of the population, thereby identifying whether or not the genetic polymorphism(s) are associated with variation for the trait. If the presence of a particular allele is statistically significantly correlated with a desired modulation in the low-nitrogen tolerance trait, the allele is associated with variation for the trait and is useful as a marker for the trait. If, on the other hand, the presence of a particular allele is not significantly correlated with the desired modulation, the allele is not associated with variation for the trait and is not useful as a marker.

Such methods are applicable to populations containing the naturally occurring endogenous polypeptide rather than an exogenous nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide, i.e., populations that are not transgenic for the exogenous nucleic acid. It will be appreciated, however, that populations suitable for use in the methods may contain a transgene for another, different trait, e.g., herbicide resistance.

Genetic polymorphisms that are useful in such methods include simple sequence repeats (SSRs, or microsatellites), rapid amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPDs), single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). SSR polymorphisms can be identified, for example, by making sequence specific probes and amplifying template DNA from individuals in the population of interest by PCR. If the probes flank an SSR in the population, PCR products of different sizes will be produced. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,847. Alternatively, SSR polymorphisms can be identified by using PCR product(s) as a probe against Southern blots from different individuals in the population. See, U. H. Refseth et al. (1997) Electrophoresis 18: 1519. The identification of RFLPs is discussed, for example, in Alonso-Blanco et al. (Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 82, “Arabidopsis Protocols”, pp. 137-146, J. M. Martinez-Zapater and J. Salinas, eds., c. 1998 by Humana Press, Totowa, N.J.); Burr (“Mapping Genes with Recombinant Inbreds”, pp. 249-254, in Freeling, M. and V. Walbot (Ed.), The Maize Handbook, c. 1994 by Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.: New York, N.Y., USA; Berlin Germany; Burr et al. (1998) Genetics 118: 519; and Gardiner, J. et al. (1993) Genetics 134: 917). The identification of AFLPs is discussed, for example, in EP 0 534 858 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,215.

In some embodiments, the methods are directed to breeding a plant line. Such methods use genetic polymorphisms identified as described above in a marker assisted breeding program to facilitate the development of lines that have a desired alteration in the low-nitrogen tolerance trait. Once a suitable genetic polymorphism is identified as being associated with variation for the trait, one or more individual plants are identified that possess the polymorphic allele correlated with the desired variation. Those plants are then used in a breeding program to combine the polymorphic allele with a plurality of other alleles at other loci that are correlated with the desired variation. Techniques suitable for use in a plant breeding program are known in the art and include, without limitation, backcrossing, mass selection, pedigree breeding, bulk selection, crossing to another population and recurrent selection. These techniques can be used alone or in combination with one or more other techniques in a breeding program. Thus, each identified plants is selfed or crossed a different plant to produce seed which is then germinated to form progeny plants. At least one such progeny plant is then selfed or crossed with a different plant to form a subsequent progeny generation. The breeding program can repeat the steps of selfing or outcrossing for an additional 0 to 5 generations as appropriate in order to achieve the desired uniformity and stability in the resulting plant line, which retains the polymorphic allele. In most breeding programs, analysis for the particular polymorphic allele will be carried out in each generation, although analysis can be carried out in alternate generations if desired.

In some cases, selection for other useful traits is also carried out, e.g., selection for fungal resistance or bacterial resistance. Selection for such other traits can be carried out before, during or after identification of individual plants that possess the desired polymorphic allele.

VI. ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE

Transgenic plants provided herein have various uses in the agricultural and energy production industries. For example, transgenic plants described herein can be used to make animal feed and food products. Such plants, however, are often particularly useful as a feedstock for energy production.

Transgenic plants described herein often produce higher yields of grain and/or biomass per hectare, relative to control plants that lack the exogenous nucleic acid. In some embodiments, such transgenic plants provide equivalent or even increased yields of grain and/or biomass per hectare relative to control plants when grown under conditions of reduced inputs such as fertilizer and/or water. Thus, such transgenic plants can be used to provide yield stability at a lower input cost and/or under environmentally stressful conditions such as drought or limiting nitrogen sources. In some embodiments, plants described herein have a composition that permits more efficient processing into free sugars, and subsequently ethanol, for energy production. In some embodiments, such plants provide higher yields of ethanol, butanol, dimethyl ether, other biofuel molecules, and/or sugar-derived co-products per kilogram of plant material, relative to control plants. Such processing efficiencies are believed to be derived from the nitrogenous composition of the plant material. By providing higher yields at an equivalent or even decreased cost of production, the transgenic plants described herein improve profitability for farmers and processors as well as decrease costs to consumers.

Seeds from transgenic plants described herein can be conditioned and bagged in packaging material by means known in the art to form an article of manufacture. Packaging material such as paper and cloth are well known in the art. A package of seed can have a label, e.g., a tag or label secured to the packaging material, a label printed on the packaging material, or a label inserted within the package, that describes the nature of the seeds therein.

The invention will be further described in the following examples, which do not limit the scope of the invention described in the claims.

VII. EXAMPLES Example 1—Transgenic Arabidopsis Plants

The following symbols are used in the Examples with respect to Arabidopsis transformation: T₁: first generation transformant; T₂: second generation, progeny of self-pollinated T₁ plants; T₃: third generation, progeny of self-pollinated T₂ plants; T₄: fourth generation, progeny of self-pollinated T₃ plants. Independent transformations are referred to as events.

The following is a list of nucleic acids that were isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana plants, CeresClone:29661 (SEQ ID NO:1), CeresClone:251343 (SEQ ID NO:48), CeresClone:19586 (SEQ ID NO:76), CeresClone:25136 (SEQ ID NO:96), CeresClone:1820 (SEQ ID NO:99), CeresClone:13102 (SEQ ID NO:151), CeresClone:15457 (SEQ ID NO:165), Ceres Annot:859276 (SEQ ID NO:175), CeresClone:17883 (SEQ ID NO:185), CeresClone:251590 (SEQ ID NO:207), CeresClone:4898 (SEQ ID NO:217), CeresClone:148977 (SEQ ID NO:233), CeresClone:24255 (SEQ ID NO:245), CeresClone:38432 (SEQ ID NO:299), Ceres Annot:553243 (SEQ ID NO:331), CeresClone:1011900 (SEQ ID NO:367), CeresClone:5232 (SEQ ID NO:509), CeresClone:29302 (SEQ ID NO:532), CeresClone:93971 (SEQ ID NO:555), Ceres Annot:12669619_cDNA (SEQ ID NO:557), CeresClone:21608 (SEQ ID NO:592), CeresClone:2031 (SEQ ID NO:612), CeresClone:94503 (SEQ ID NO:645), CeresClone:21740 (SEQ ID NO:686), CeresClone:5609 (SEQ ID NO:729), CeresClone:3137 (SEQ ID NO:745), CeresClone:32430 (SEQ ID NO:768), CeresClone:101255 (SEQ ID NO:791), Ceres Annot:573161 (SEQ ID NO:854), Ceres Annot:552727 (SEQ ID NO:890), CeresClone:732 (SEQ ID NO:1193), CeresClone:2267 (SEQ ID NO:1209), CeresClone:39358 (SEQ ID NO:1273), CeresClone:115046 (SEQ ID NO:1301), Ceres Annot:850581 (SEQ ID NO:1427), Ceres Annot:862321 (SEQ ID NO:1462), Ceres Annot:839064 (SEQ ID NO:1478), Ceres Annot:864666 (SEQ ID NO:1490), Ceres Annot:875012 (SEQ ID NO:1509), Ceres Annot:874016 (SEQ ID NO:1524), Ceres Annot:827304 (SEQ ID NO:1536), Ceres Annot:869192 (SEQ ID NO:1553), and Ceres Annot:876419 (SEQ ID NO:1576). The nucleic acid designated Ceres Clone: 968180 (SEQ ID NO:1115) was isolated from the species Brassica napus. The nucleic acid designated Ceres Clone: 1017441 (SEQ ID NO:224) was isolated from the species Triticum aesticum. The following is a list of nucleic acids that were isolated from Zea mays plants, CeresClone:1387146 (SEQ ID NO:981), CeresClone:1408950 (SEQ ID NO:1098, CeresClone:208453 (SEQ ID NO:1111), CeresClone:208995 (SEQ ID NO:943), CeresClone:225681 (SEQ ID NO:975), CeresClone:239806 (SEQ ID NO:916), CeresClone:244306 (SEQ ID NO:1053), CeresClone:276809 (SEQ ID NO:823), CeresClone:324216 (SEQ ID NO:852), CeresClone:339439 (SEQ ID NO:1341), CeresClone:424522 (SEQ ID NO:827), CeresClone:896483 (SEQ ID NO:1384), CeresClone:986438 (SEQ ID NO:1156), CeresClone:988083 (SEQ ID NO:1184), CeresClone:995409 (SEQ ID NO:1408), CeresClone:996227 (SEQ ID NO:1158), and CeresClone:996263 (SEQ ID NO:1165).

With the exception of Ceres Clone:29661 (SEQ ID NO:1), each isolated nucleic acid described above was cloned into a Ti plasmid vector, CRS338, containing a phosphinothricin acetyltransferase gene which confers FINALE™ resistance to transformed plants. Constructs were made using CRS338 that contained SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:151, SEQ ID NO:165, SEQ ID NO:175, SEQ ID NO:185, SEQ ID NO:207, SEQ ID NO:217, SEQ ID NO:233, SEQ ID NO:245, SEQ ID NO:299, SEQ ID NO:331, SEQ ID NO:367, SEQ ID NO:509, SEQ ID NO:532, SEQ ID NO:555, SEQ ID NO:557, SEQ ID NO:592, SEQ ID NO:612, SEQ ID NO:645, SEQ ID NO:686, SEQ ID NO:729, SEQ ID NO:745, SEQ ID NO:768, SEQ ID NO:791, SEQ ID NO:823, SEQ ID NO:827, SEQ ID NO:852, SEQ ID NO:854, SEQ ID NO:890, SEQ ID NO:916, SEQ ID NO:943, SEQ ID NO:975, SEQ ID NO:981, SEQ ID NO:1053, SEQ ID NO:1098, SEQ ID NO:1111, SEQ ID NO:1115, SEQ ID NO:1156, SEQ ID NO:1158, SEQ ID NO:1165, SEQ ID NO:1184, SEQ ID NO:1193, SEQ ID NO:1209, SEQ ID NO:1273, SEQ ID NO:1301, SEQ ID NO:1341, SEQ ID NO:1384, SEQ ID NO:1408, SEQ ID NO:1427, SEQ ID NO:1462, SEQ ID NO:1490, SEQ ID NO:1509, SEQ ID NO:1524, SEQ ID NO:1536, SEQ ID NO:1553, or SEQ ID NO:1576, each operably linked to a 35S promoter. Ceres Clone:29661 (SEQ ID NO:1) was cloned into a Ti plasmid vector, CRS 311, containing a phosphinothricin acetyltransferase gene, which confers FINALE™ resistance to transformed plants. SEQ ID NO:1 was operably linked to a p32449 promoter in the constructs made using the CRS 331 vector. Wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana ecotype Wassilewskija (Ws) plants were transformed separately with each construct. The transformations were performed essentially as described in Bechtold et al. (1993) C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, 316:1194-1199.

Transgenic Arabidopsis lines containing SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:48, SEQ ID NO:76, SEQ ID NO:96, SEQ ID NO:99, SEQ ID NO:151, SEQ ID NO:165, SEQ ID NO:185, SEQ ID NO:207, SEQ ID NO:217, SEQ ID NO:233, SEQ ID NO:245, SEQ ID NO:299, SEQ ID NO:331, SEQ ID NO:367, SEQ ID NO:509, SEQ ID NO:532, SEQ ID NO:555, SEQ ID NO:557, SEQ ID NO:592, SEQ ID NO:612, SEQ ID NO:645, SEQ ID NO:686, SEQ ID NO:729, SEQ ID NO:745, SEQ ID NO:768, SEQ ID NO:791, SEQ ID NO:823, SEQ ID NO:827, SEQ ID NO:852, SEQ ID NO:854, SEQ ID NO:890, SEQ ID NO:916, SEQ ID NO:943, SEQ ID NO:975, SEQ ID NO:981, SEQ ID NO:224, SEQ ID NO:1053, SEQ ID NO:1098, SEQ ID NO:1111, SEQ ID NO:1115, SEQ ID NO:1156, SEQ ID NO:1158, SEQ ID NO:1165, SEQ ID NO:1184, SEQ ID NO:1193, SEQ ID NO:1209, SEQ ID NO:1273, SEQ ID NO:1301, SEQ ID NO:1341, SEQ ID NO:1384, SEQ ID NO:1408, SEQ ID NO:1427, SEQ ID NO:1462, SEQ ID NO:1478, SEQ ID NO:1490, SEQ ID NO:1509, SEQ ID NO:1524, SEQ ID NO:1536, SEQ ID NO:1553, SEQ ID NO:1576, or SEQ ID NO:175 were designated ME00919, ME01312, ME01463, ME01821, ME01910, ME02538, ME02603, ME02613, ME02801, ME03123, ME04204, ME04477, ME04507, ME04587, ME04753, ME04772, ME04909, ME05033, ME05194, ME05267, ME05300, ME05341, ME05392, ME05429, ME05493, ME05885, ME07344, ME07859, ME08464, ME09939, ME11735, ME12910, ME12927, ME12929, ME12954, ME12970, ME13006, ME13021, ME13064, ME13071, ME13087, ME13106, ME13107, ME13108, ME13110, ME13125, ME13149, ME13151, ME13153, ME13177, ME13200, ME13204, ME14649, ME16546, ME17457, ME17567, ME17932, ME17936, ME18275, ME18924, ME19182, or ME20628, respectively. The presence of each vector containing a nucleic acid described above in the respective transgenic Arabidopsis line transformed with the vector was confirmed by FINALE™ resistance, PCR amplification from green leaf tissue extract, and/or sequencing of PCR products. As controls, wild-type Arabidopsis ecotype Ws plants were transformed with the empty vector, either CRS338 or CRS311.

Example 2—Screening for Transgenic Plants Tolerant to Low-Nitrogen Growth Conditions

A low-nitrogen tolerance screen was carried out on seedlings in order to identify transgenic lines that showed increased photosynthesis efficiency or seedling size or greenness under limiting nitrogen conditions relative to the internal control plants. The media used for the low-nitrogen tolerance assay contained 0.5% sucrose, 0.5×MS without nitrogen media (PhytoTech), 0.05% MES Hydrate, and 0.8% Phytagar. In addition, for low ammonium nitrate assay, 240 μM NH4NO3 was used as nitrogen source. For low nitrate assay, nitrogen source was 300 μM KNO3. pH of the media was adjusted to pH 5.7 using 10N KOH. Sterilized seeds were plated on agar plates and stratified for 2 days in the dark at 4° C. to promote uniform germination. Agar plates with germinating seedlings were placed horizontally in a CONVIRON® growth chamber set at 22° C., 16:8 hour light:dark cycle, 70% humidity with a combination of incandescent and fluorescent lamps emitting a light intensity of ˜100μ Einsteins. The control plates were placed randomly within the set. Screen the seedlings daily starting at 14 days. In this screen, seedlings that were larger or greener relative to the internal controls on low nitrogen growth media were selected. As they were found each day, candidate seedlings were aseptically transplanted to standard MS germination plates for recovery. This intermediate recovery step was necessary before transplanting to soil to minimize the overall candidate mortality rate. The scoring and transplanting of candidates were continued until all remaining plants were small and yellowed from nitrogen stress. On the very last day of scoring, each plate was scanned for photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm) on the chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) imager and scored as candidates and transplanted any extreme outliers on the high end of Fv/Fm scores. Fv/Fm ratio typically provides an estimate of the photosystem II (PSII) maximum efficiency within dark-adapted material where Fv is variable fluorescence, i.e. difference between minimum (Fo) and maximum (Fm) fluorescence signal, from dark-adapted material. This could be done visually by looking at the false color image for each seedling using the CF image analysis software (plants with high end Fv/Fm scores appear red). This step was typically done at ˜24 days after germination. Seven days after being transferred to MS recovery plates, candidates were transplanted to soil (standard Sunshine:vermiculite 3:2 mix; Osmocote; Marathon). Five days after being transplanted to soil, candidates were sprayed with FINALE® [5 mL FINALE®/48 oz. water] to eliminate non-transgenics from the population. Two days after spraying with FINALE®, cauline leaf tissue of each candidate was collected for genomic DNA extraction, PCR, and sequencing to determine the identity of the transgene for each candidate.

Example 3—Validation Plate Assay

This assay was designed to validate transgenic lines that showed increased photosynthesis or size under limiting nitrogen conditions relative to the internal control. The media used for the low-nitrogen tolerance assay contained 0.5% sucrose, 0.5×MS without nitrogen media (PhytoTech), 0.05% MES Hydrate, and 0.8% Phytagar. pH of the media was adjusted to pH 5.7 using 10N KOH. In addition, for low ammonium nitrate assay, 240 μM NH₄NO₃ was used as nitrogen source. For low nitrate assay, nitrogen source was 300 μM KNO₃. Sterilized seeds were plated on agar plates and stratified for 2 days in the dark at 4° C. to promote uniform germination. Agar plates with germinating seedlings were placed horizontally in a CONVIRON® growth chamber set at 22° C., 16:8 hour light:dark cycle, 70% humidity with a combination of incandescent and fluorescent lamps emitting a light intensity of ˜100μ Einsteins. The control plates were placed randomly within the set. Plates were scanned every other day using the CF Imager (after 45 minute of dark-acclimation) and were completed after all wild-type plants have completely yellowed. After the plates were scanned on the last day, they were sprayed with FINALE® (10 mL FINALE® into 48 oz. full-strength MS liquid media). Two days after spraying, each plate was dark-acclimated for 45 minutes and scanned for Fv/Fm on the CF imager and scored for each of the plants at each time point. For each separate time point, the data for all the T₂ transgenic plants across an event was pooled and a one-tailed t-test was used to compare both the Fv/Fm ratios and rosette areas relative to the pooled non-transgenics across the same plate. Whenever possible, this process was repeated for the T₃ generation plants. A low nitrogen tolerant candidate was confirmed when the transgenic Fv/Fm ratio and/or rosette area was greater than the wild-type segregants with a p-value ≦0.05 in 2 or more events in both generations

Example 4—Validation Soil Assay

A Low, Medium, and High Nitrogen experiment on soil was carried out to assess phenotypic characteristics at a mature point in the life cycle of Arabidopsis, as compared to seedling screens. The lines to be tested were originally identified through superpool screens for low nitrate and low ammonium nitrate tolerance. These lines were later individually assayed as seedlings on low nitrate and low ammonium nitrate agar. For this assay, MetroMix200 soil was mixed with vermiculite and Marathon™ (MetroMix200:vermiculite 3:2 mix; Osmocote; Marathon) autoclaved and cooled before use. Experimental plants and controls were randomized across the flats. Prior to sowing seed, each flat was watered with 3 L filtered water. Flats with 24 wells were filled with the following 3:2 ratios of MetroMix200 to Thermorock vermiculite. At the beginning of the experiment no nitrogen was provided until 2 weeks after germination when ¼ Hoaglands supplemented with KNO₃ at 25 ppm, 250 ppm, and 1500 ppm were used to water the flats from beneath.

Seeds were stratified on soil and in the dark at 4° C. for 3 days. After the cold treatment, flats were transferred to the growth chamber. Plants were grown for approximately 5 weeks, or until full grown/mature. Plants were then dark-acclimated for one hour. Chlorophyll fluorescence images were taken using a CF-Imager (Technologica, UK) according to the manufacturer's protocol to measure the performance and efficiency of photosystem II: 1) Fv/Fm, maximum photosystem II efficiency 2) Fq′/Fm′, operating efficiency and 3) non-photochemical quenching (NPQ).

One week after watering with ¼ Hoaglands supplemented with various KNO₃ concentrations, plant rosette area measurements were taken using the WhinRhizo imaging software (Reagent Instruments, Canada). The plants were then collected in manila envelopes, placed in a 125° C. drying oven for 1-2 days and weighed.

Example 5—Analysis of ME00919 Events

ME00919 contains Ceres Clone:29661 (At3g61880, SEQ ID NO:1) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 534 amino acid cytochrome P450 protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME00919 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Example 2. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -03, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME00919 seedlings on low ammonium nitrate-containing media are shown in Table 1. Events -01 and -03 segregated 15:1 and 3:1 (R:S), respectively, for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME00919 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 1 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME00919 ME00919- 0.65641304 46 0.595818 11 2.48 × 10⁻² 01 (T₂) ME00919 ME00919- 0.66348780 41 0.595818 11 1.55 × 10⁻² 01 (T₃) ME00919 ME00919- 0.67212195 41 0.634026 38 3.35 × 10⁻³ 03 (T₂) ME00919 ME00919- 0.69278947 19 0.634026 38 2.39 × 10⁻⁵ 03 (T₃)

Events -01 and -03 of ME00919 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 6—Analysis of ME01312 Events

ME01312 contains Ceres Clone:251343 (At3g21270, SEQ ID NO:48) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 204 amino acid Dof zinc finger protein. Ceres Clone:251343 shares approximately 40% amino acid identity to the corn Dof1 gene, which when overexpressed in Arabidopsis, has shown to confer tolerance to plants receiving low nitrogen stress (Yanagisawa et al., 2004). Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME01312 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -03 and -11, showed significantly enhanced photosynthetic efficiency on either low nitrate or low ammonium nitrate-containing media after 16 and 17 days compared to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. Event -03 had a slightly greater p-value than 0.05 in the T₃ generation for the low nitrate screen, significant at p≦0.10. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME01312 seedlings on either low nitrate or low ammonium nitrate-containing media is shown in Table 2. Events -03 and -11 segregated 3:1 (R:S), respectively, for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

TABLE 2A T-test comparison of photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 16 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME01312 ME01312-03 0.63 38 0.60 58 0.03  (T₂) ME01312 ME01312-03 0.63 38 0.60 58 0.07  (T₃) ME01312 ME01312-11 0.64 41 0.60 58 0.019 (T₂) ME01312 ME01312-11 0.64 47 0.60 58 9.89 × 10⁻³ (T₃)

TABLE 2B T-test comparison of photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 17 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME01312 ME01312-03 0.64 36 0.61 88 2.64 × 10⁻³ (T₂) ME01312 ME01312-03 0.66 27 0.61 88 1.87 × 10⁻⁵ (T₃) ME01312 ME01312-11 0.65 35 0.61 88 7.06 × 10⁻⁴ (T₂) ME01312 ME01312-11 0.64 37 0.61 88 0.011 (T₃)

Events -03 -11 of ME01312 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 7—Analysis of ME01463 Events

ME01463 contains Ceres Clone:19586 (At1g80600, SEQ ID NO:76) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 457 acetylornithine aminotransferase, a member of the Class-III aminotransferase family. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME01463 in two generations was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Three events, -02, -06, and -10, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate containing-media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME01463 seedlings is shown in Table 3. Events -02, -06, and -10 segregated 2:1, 2:1 and 3:1 (R:S), respectively, for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME01463 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed (data not shown).

TABLE 3 T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME01463 ME01463-02 (T₃) 0.6815 26 0.6376 122 2.47 × 10⁻⁴ ME01463 ME01463-02 (T₄) 0.6701 41 0.6376 122 1.57 × 10⁻³ ME01463 ME01463-06 (T₃) 0.6615 31 0.6376 122 2.37 × 10⁻² ME01463 ME01463-06 (T₄) 0.6881 35 0.6376 122 5.85 × 10⁻⁶ ME01463 ME01463-10 (T₂) 0.6699 33 0.6376 122 2.25 × 10⁻³ ME01463 ME01463-10 (T₃) 0.6809 18 0.6376 122 4.60 × 10⁻⁴

Events -02, -06, and -10 of ME01463 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 8—Analysis of ME01821 Events

ME01821 contains Ceres Clone:25136 (At1g65500, SEQ ID NO:96) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 86 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME01821 in T₂ generation was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Three events, -01, -04 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in T₂ generation. Two events, -04 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in T₂ generation at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME01821 seedlings is shown in Table 4.

TABLE 4A T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME01821 ME01821-01 0.6745 15 0.6520 33 3.76 × 10⁻² (T₂) ME01821 ME01821-04 0.6826 17 0.6614 14 2.76 × 10⁻² (T₂) ME01821 ME01821-05 0.6826 20 0.6614 14 3.74 × 10⁻² (T₂)

TABLE 4B T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME01821 ME01821-04 0.7422 13 0.7166 21 5.20 × 10⁻³ (T₂) ME01821 ME01821-05 0.7426 19 0.7166 21 6.07 × 10⁻³ (T₂)

A summary of the enhanced growth of ME01812 events on either low nitrate- or low ammonium nitrate-containing media is shown in Table 5. For two events -01 and -05, transgenic seedlings were found significantly larger than the pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate-containing media (Table 5A). Transgenic seedlings of two events -02 and -05 were found significantly larger than the pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate-containing media (Table 5B). In this study, the seedling area for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line.

TABLE 5A T-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME01821 ME01821-01 0.0608 15 0.0555 33 3.97 × 10⁻² (T₂) ME01821 ME01821-05 0.0666 20 0.0530 14 3.05 × 10⁻⁶ (T₂)

TABLE 5B T-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME01821 ME01821-02 0.0750 19 0.0567 21 8.94 × 10⁻⁵ (T₂) ME01821 ME01821-05 0.0680 19 0.0567 21 7.89 × 10⁻³ (T₂)

Example 9—Analysis of ME01910 Events

ME01910 contains Ceres Clone:1820 (At2g30620, SEQ ID NO:99) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 273 amino acid linker histone H1 and H5 family protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME01910 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -02, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME01910 seedlings is shown in Table 6. Events -01 and -02 segregated 3:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME01910 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 6 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME01910 ME01910-01 (T₂) 0.60433 39 0.56396 27 2.03 × 10⁻² ME01910 ME01910-01 (T₃) 0.61274 31 0.56396 27 9.23 × 10⁻³ ME01910 ME01910-02 (T₂) 0.62705 37 0.58083 29 7.39 × 10⁻³ ME01910 ME01910-02 (T₃) 0.64146 24 0.58083 29 9.23 × 10⁻⁴

Events -01 and -02 of ME01910 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 10—Analysis of ME02538 Events

ME02538 contains Ceres Clone:13102 (At1g67920, SEQ ID NO:151) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 67 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME02538 in T₂ generation was conducted under the same conditions as described in Example 2. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -04 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency relative to the internal controls in T₂ generation on both low nitrate-containing and ammonium nitrate-containing media at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME01821 seedlings is shown in Table 7.

TABLE 7A T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME02538 ME02538-04 0.6686 15 0.6171 24 1.92 × 10⁻⁴ (T₂) ME02538 ME02538-05 0.6420 20 0.6171 24 4.84 × 10⁻² (T₂)

TABLE 7B T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME02538 ME02538-04 0.7345 13 0.7080 22 4.45 × 10⁻³ (T₂) ME02538 ME02538-05 0.7356 20 0.7080 22 5.93 × 10⁻³ (T₂)

ME02538 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. A summary of the growth assay performed on ME01812 events is shown in Table 8. Transgenic seedlings of two events -01 and -02 were found significantly larger than the pooled non-transgenic segregants on both low nitrate—(Table 8A) and low ammonium nitrate-containing media (Table 8B).

TABLE 8A T-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME02538 ME02538-01 0.0655 16 0.0558 36 2.80 × 10⁻⁴ (T₂) ME02538 ME02538-02 0.0651 13 0.0601 20 1.32 × 10⁻² (T₂)

TABLE 8B T-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME02538 ME02538-01 0.0856 15 0.0737 39 8.60 × 10⁻³ (T₂) ME02538 ME02538-02 0.0864 14 0.0776 22 3.13 × 10⁻² (T₂)

Example 11—Analysis of ME02603 Events

ME02603 contains Ceres Clone:15457 (At5g47610, SEQ ID NO:165) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 166 amino acid zinc ion binding protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME02603 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME02603 seedlings is shown in Table 9. Events -01 and -04 segregated 3:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. Transgenic plants of two events -01 and -04—were also tested for enhanced photosynthetic efficiency on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 9 T-test comparison of photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 17 days (21 days for the T₂ generation of ME02603-01) of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME02603 ME02603-01 0.61 10 0.54 32 9.00 × 10⁻⁴ (T₂) ME02603 ME02603-01 0.67 28 0.65 62 6.11 × 10⁻³ (T₃) ME02603 ME02603-04 0.69 25 0.65 62 4.45 × 10⁻⁵ (T₂) ME02603 ME02603-04 0.68 24 0.65 62 7.53 × 10⁻³ (T₃)

Events -01 and -04 of ME02603 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 12—Analysis of ME02613 Events

ME02613 contains Ceres Clone:17883 (At3g13910, SEQ ID NO:185) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 102 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME02613 in T₂ generation was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. In T₂ generation, two events, -01 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate containing-media relative to the internal controls in T₂ generation at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. Two events, -03 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate containing-media relative to the internal controls in T₂ generation at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME02613 seedlings is shown in Table 10.

TABLE 10A T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME02613 ME02613-01 0.6979 16 0.6630 21 1.45 × 10⁻² (T₂) ME02613 ME02613-04 0.7046 13 0.6630 21 5.73 × 10⁻⁴ (T₂)

TABLE 10B T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME02613 ME02613-03 0.7270  9 0.7068 29 4.34 × 10⁻² (T₂) ME02613 ME02613-04 0.7485 15 0.7068 29 7.09 × 10⁻⁵ (T₂)

A summary of the enhanced growth of ME02613 events on either low nitrate- or low ammonium nitrate-containing media is shown in Table 11. For two events -01 and -03, transgenic seedlings were found significantly larger than the pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate-containing media (Table 11A). Transgenic seedlings of two events -02 and -03 were found significantly larger than the pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate-containing media (Table 11B).

TABLE 11A T-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME02613 ME02613-01 0.05706 16 0.05259 31 4.71 × 10⁻² (T₂) ME02613 ME02613-03 0.06236 12 0.05789 29 2.39 × 10⁻² (T₂)

TABLE 1 T-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME02613 ME02613-02 0.08324 14 0.07018 29 2.72 × 10⁻⁴ (T₂) ME02613 ME02613-03 0.08273  9 0.07018 29 1.41 × 10⁻² (T₂)

Example 13—Analysis of ME02801 Events

ME02801 contains Ceres Clone:251590 (At3g53080, SEQ ID NO:207) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 155 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME02801 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Example 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -02 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME02801 seedlings is shown in Table 12. Events -02 and -04 segregated 3:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME02801 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media and enhanced photosynthetic efficiency and growth on low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 12 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME02801 ME02801-02 0.536385 39 0.465903 113 5.49 × 10⁻⁷ (T₂) ME02801 ME02801-02 0.536465 43 0.465903 113 5.11 × 10⁻⁷ (T₃) ME02801 ME02801-04 0.532419 31 0.465903 113 1.28 × 10⁻⁵ (T₂) ME02801 ME02801-04 0.510406 32 0.465903 113 1.74 × 10⁻² (T₃)

Events -02 and -04 of ME02801 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 14—Analysis of ME03123 Events

ME03123 contains Ceres Clone:4898 (At1g29970, SEQ ID NO:217) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 158 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME03123 in T₂ and/or T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME03123 seedlings is shown in Table 13. Two events, -01 and -10, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate- or low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in T₂ or T₃ generation at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance.

TABLE 13A T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME03123 ME03123-01 0.6282 15 0.5732 26 6.60 × 10⁻⁵ (T₂) ME03123 ME03123-10 0.6069 12 0.5732 26 1.05 × 10⁻² (T₃)

TABLE 13B T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME03123 ME03123-01 0.6736 17 0.6315 16 1.74 × 10⁻² (T₂) ME03123 ME03123-10 0.6699 20 0.6315 16 1.60 × 10⁻² (T₃)

ME03123 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. In this assay, transgenic seedlings of ME03123-02 and ME03123-04 (T₂) were significantly larger than the pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate (Table 14).

TABLE 14 T-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME03123 ME03123-02 (T₂) 0.07235 19 0.05623 20 1.41 × 10⁻⁶ ME03123 ME03123-04 (T₃) 0.06571  7 0.05729 41 7.74 × 10⁻³

Example 15—Analysis of ME04204 Events

ME04204 contains Ceres Clone:148977 (At1g78770, SEQ ID NO:233) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 159 amino acid anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome subunit protein. However, it is also possible that this is natural variant transcript produced by the plant, because multiple annotations for locus At1g78770 were found in public domain. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME04204 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME04204 seedlings is shown in Table 15. Events -01 and -05 segregated 3:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME04204 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 15 T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME04204 ME04204-01 0.623676 34 0.585504 121 2.15 × 10⁻⁴ (T₂) ME04204 ME04204-01 0.627706 17 0.585504 121 8.22 × 10⁻⁵ (T₃) ME04204 ME04204-05 0.615857 35 0.585504 121 9.41 × 10⁻³ (T₂) ME04204 ME04204-05 0.611419 43 0.585504 121 1.25 × 10⁻² (T₃)

Events -01 and -05 of ME04204 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 16—Analysis of ME04477 Events

ME04477 contains Ceres Clone:24255 (At2g36320, SEQ ID NO:245) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 161 amino acid DNA binding/zinc ion binding protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME04477 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Example 2. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME04477 seedlings is shown in Table 16. Events -01 and -05 segregated 3:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME04477 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 16 T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME04204 ME04204-01 0.623676 34 0.585504 121 2.15 × 10⁻⁴ (T₂) ME04204 ME04204-01 0.627706 17 0.585504 121 8.22 × 10⁻⁵ (T₃) ME04204 ME04204-05 0.615857 35 0.585504 121 9.41 × 10⁻³ (T₂) ME04204 ME04204-05 0.611419 43 0.585504 121 1.25 × 10⁻² (T₃)

Events -01 and -05 of ME04477 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 17—Analysis of ME04507 Events

ME04507 contains Ceres Clone:38432 (At4g38250, SEQ ID NO:299) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 436 amino acid transmembrane amino acid transporter protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME04507 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Example 2. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -03 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME04507 seedlings is shown in Table 17. Events -03 and -04 segregated 15:1 and 3:1 (R:S), respectively, for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME04507 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 17 T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate media. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME04507 ME04507-03 (T₂) 0.57753 40 0.53084 103 4.90 × 10⁻⁴ ME04507 ME04507-03 (T₃) 0.56318 39 0.53084 103 2.64 × 10⁻² ME04507 ME04507-04 (T₂) 0.57708 38 0.53084 103 6.12 × 10⁻³ ME04507 ME04507-04 (T₃) 0.57277 22 0.53084 103 2.35 × 10⁻²

Events -03 and -04 of ME04507 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 18—Analysis of ME04587 Events

ME04587 contains Ceres Annot:553243 (At2g27010, SEQ ID NO:331) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 516 amino acid cytochrome P450 protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME04587 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Example 2. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -02, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME04587 seedlings is shown in Table 18. In T₂ generation, events -01 and -02 segregated 1:1 and 47:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance. These two events segregated 2:1 and 7:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE® resistance in the T₃ generation.

TABLE 18 T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME04587 ME04587-01 (T₂) 0.6424 10 0.5437 30 2.48 × 10⁻³ ME04587 ME04587-01 (T₃) 0.6165 25 0.5437 30 1.24 × 10⁻² ME04587 ME04587-02 (T₂) 0.6022 47 0.5437 30 3.08 × 10⁻² ME04587 ME04587-02 (T₃) 0.6310 43 0.5437 30 3.68 × 10⁻³

ME04587 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. In addition, these events were tested on low nitrate media for increased seedling area and photosynthetic efficiency. No statistically significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

Events -01 and -02 of ME04587 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 19—Analysis of ME04753 Events

ME04753 contains Ceres Clone:1011900 (At2g21660, SEQ ID NO:367) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 130 amino acid glycine-rich RNA binding protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME04753 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -02, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME04753 seedlings is shown in Table 19. Events -01 and -02 segregated 3:1 and 2:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME04753 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 19 T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate media. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME04753 ME04753−01 (T₂) 0.49323 39 0.45917 66 3.17 × 10⁻² ME04753 ME04753−01 (T₃) 0.50942 26 0.45917 66 1.80 × 10⁻² ME04753 ME04753−02 (T₂) 0.49856 34 0.45917 66 2.43 × 10⁻² ME04753 ME04753−02 (T₃) 0.51274 27 0.45917 66 1.15 × 10⁻²

Events -01 and -02 of ME04753 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 20—Analysis of ME04772 Events

ME04772 contains Ceres Clone:5232 (At1g13380, SEQ ID NO:509) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 188 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME04772 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Example 2. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -02 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME04772 seedlings is shown in Table 20. Events -02 and -04 segregated 2:1 and 3:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME04772 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 20 T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate media. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME04772 ME04772−02 (T₂) 0.53708 25 0.46204 53 3.36 × 10⁻⁵ ME04772 ME04772−02 (T₃) 0.53121 34 0.46204 53 1.27 × 10⁻⁴ ME04772 ME04772−04 (T₂) 0.52921 34 0.46204 53 3.71 × 10⁻⁴ ME04772 ME04772−04 (T₃) 0.50272 36 0.46204 53 2.73 × 10⁻²

Events -02 and -04 of ME04772 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 21—Analysis of ME04772 Events

ME04909 contains Ceres Clone:29302 (At1g49010, SEQ ID NO:532) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 314 amino acid Myb-like DNA-binding domain protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME04909 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -03, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME04909 seedlings is shown in Table 21. Events -01 and -03 segregated 15:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME04909 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 21 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME04909 ME04909−01 (T₂) 0.587774 31 0.550342 111 1.36 × 10⁻² ME04909 ME04909−01 (T₃) 0.607452 31 0.550342 111 1.28 × 10⁻³ ME04909 ME04909−03 (T₂) 0.581537 41 0.550342 111  1.8 × 10⁻² ME04909 ME04909−03 (T₃) 0.609806 31 0.550342 111  4.3 × 10⁻⁵

Events -01 and -03 of ME04909 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 22—Analysis of ME05033 Events

ME05033 contains Ceres Clone:93971 (At4g19095, SEQ ID NO:555) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 188 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME05033 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Example 2. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -03 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME05033 seedlings is shown in Table 22. Events -03 and -05 segregated 15:1 and 2:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME05033 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 22 T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate media. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME05033 ME05033−03 (T₂) 0.65717 46 0.62621 132 9.20 × 10⁻⁵ ME05033 ME05033−03 (T₃) 0.64956 39 0.62621 132 4.52 × 10⁻³ ME05033 ME05033−05 (T₂) 0.64448 29 0.62621 132 3.46 × 10⁻² ME05033 ME05033−05 (T₃) 0.65537 30 0.62621 132 2.38 × 10⁻⁴

Events -03 and -05 of ME05033 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 23—Analysis of ME05194 Events

ME05194 contains Ceres cDNA:12669619 (At1g30710, SEQ ID NO:557) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 531 amino acid electron carrier protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME05194 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. Two events, -03 and -05, showed significantly enhanced growth on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. In this study, the seedling area at 14 days for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line. A summary of enhanced growth under low nitrate growth conditions of ME05194 seedlings is shown in Table 23. Events -03 and -05 segregated 1:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME05194 events were also tested for increased photosynthetic efficiency on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 23 t-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Transgenic Pooled Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME05194 ME05194−03 (T₂) 0.051216 38 0.040874 82 2.54 × 10⁻⁵ ME05194 ME05194−03 (T₃) 0.047042 45 0.040874 82 2.61 × 10⁻² ME05194 ME05194−05 (T₂) 0.048746 26 0.040874 82 6.15 × 10⁻³ ME05194 ME05194−05 (T₃) 0.048457 14 0.040874 82 3.03 × 10⁻²

Events -03 and -05 of ME05194 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 24—Analysis of ME05267 Events

ME05267 contains Ceres Clone:21608 (At5g49510, SEQ ID NO:592) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 195 amino acid von Hippel-Lindau binding protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME05267 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. Two events, -01 and -04, showed significantly enhanced growth on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. In this study, the seedling area at 14 days for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line. A summary of enhanced growth under low nitrate growth conditions of ME05194 seedlings is shown in Table 24. Events -01 and -04 segregated 15:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME05267 events were also tested for increased photosynthetic efficiency on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 24 t-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Transgenic Pooled Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME05267 ME05267−01 (T₂) 0.053263 46 0.0450197 122 4.4 × 10⁻⁵ ME05267 ME05267−01 (T₃) 0.051135 26 0.0450197 122 5.0 × 10⁻² ME05267 ME05267−04 (T₂) 0.049977 44 0.0450197 122 6.4 × 10⁻³ ME05267 ME05267−04 (T₃) 0.053084 38 0.0450197 122 8.4 × 10⁻⁴

Events -01 and -04 of ME05267 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 25—Analysis of ME05300 Events

ME05300 contains Ceres Clone:2031 (At1g72020, SEQ ID NO:612) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 97 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME05300 in T₂ generation was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME05300 seedlings is shown in Table 25. Two events, -04 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate- and low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in T₂ generation at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. In addition, two events, -01 and -05, showed significantly enhanced growth on low nitrate- and low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in T₂ generation at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. In this study, the seedling area for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line. A summary of enhanced growth under low nitrate and low ammonium nitrate growth conditions of ME05300 seedlings is shown in Table 26.

TABLE 25A T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME05300 ME05300-04 0.6867  7 0.6488 27 1.65 × 10⁻² (T₂) ME05300 ME05300-05 0.6839 16 0.6488 27 2.50 × 10⁻³ (T₂)

TABLE 25B T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME05300 ME05300-04 0.6767  6 0.6323 32 1.68 × 10⁻² (T₂) ME05300 ME05300-05 0.6934 11 0.6323 32 7.04 × 10⁻⁴ (T₂)

TABLE 26A T-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME05300 ME05300-01 0.0737 18 0.0588 21 3.80 × 10⁻³ (T₂) ME05300 ME05300-05 0.0655 16 0.0570 27 1.59 × 10⁻² (T₂)

TABLE 26B T-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME05300 ME05300-01 0.0987 17 0.0776 29 3.89 × 10⁻³ (T₂) ME05300 ME05300-05 0.1082 11 0.0776 29 1.57 × 10⁻³ (T₂)

Example 26—Analysis of ME05341 Events

ME05341 contains Ceres Clone:94503 (At4g14420, SEQ ID NO:645) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 158 amino acid elicitor-like protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME05341 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. Two events, -01 and -02, showed significantly enhanced growth on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. In this study, the seedling area at 14 days for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME05341 seedlings is shown in Table 27. Events -01 and -02 segregated 15:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME05341 events were also tested for increased photosynthetic efficiency on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 27 t-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Transgenic Pooled Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME05341 ME05341−01 (T₂) 0.06253 46 0.04988 143  4.17 × 10⁻¹⁰ ME05341 ME05341−01 (T₃) 0.05876 38 0.04988 143 4.13 × 10⁻⁴ ME05341 ME05341−02 (T₂) 0.06152 46 0.04988 143 2.91 × 10⁻⁷ ME05341 ME05341−02 (T₃) 0.05572 48 0.04988 143 2.90 × 10⁻³

Events -01 and -02 of ME05341 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 27—Analysis of ME05392 Events

ME05392 contains Ceres Clone:21740 (At5g01610, SEQ ID NO:686) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 170 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME05392 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -03, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME05392 seedlings is shown in Table 20. Events -01 and -03 segregated 2:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME05392 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 28 T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate media. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME05392 ME05392−01 (T₂) 0.61759 32 0.60093 107 3.70 × 10⁻² ME05392 ME05392−01 (T₃) 0.63388 40 0.60093 107 5.05 × 10⁻⁵ ME05392 ME05392−03 (T₂) 0.64335 23 0.60093 107 5.81 × 10⁻⁵ ME05392 ME05392−03 (T₃) 0.63397 36 0.60093 107 4.30 × 10⁻⁵

Events -01 and -03 of ME05392 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 28—Analysis of ME05429 Events

ME05429 contains Ceres Clone:5609 (At3g60480, SEQ ID NO:729) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 188 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME05429 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -06 and -08, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME05429 seedlings is shown in Table 29. Events -06 and -08 segregated 3:1 and 2:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME05429 events were tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. In addition, these events were also tested for enhanced growth and photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 29 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME05429 ME05429−06 (T₂) 0.62521 28 0.59991 78 2.85 × 10⁻² ME05429 ME05429−06 (T₃) 0.63031 39 0.59991 78 8.49 × 10⁻³ ME05429 ME05429−08 (T₂) 0.64526 23 0.59991 78 1.67 × 10⁻³ ME05429 ME05429−08 (T₃) 0.65076 17 0.59991 78 2.76 × 10⁻⁴

Events -06 and -08 of ME05429 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 29—Analysis of ME05493 Events

ME05493 contains Ceres Clone:3137 (At3g43430, SEQ ID NO:745) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 169 amino acid zinc finger family protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME05493 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME05493 seedlings is shown in Table 30. Events -01 and -05 segregated 15:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME05493 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 30 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate media. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME05493 ME05493−01 (T₂) 0.64121 32 0.61097 92 1.13 × 10⁻³ ME05493 ME05493−01 (T₃) 0.64250 46 0.61097 92 3.03 × 10⁻⁴ ME05493 ME05493−05 (T₂) 0.62865 43 0.61097 92 1.75 × 10⁻² ME05493 ME05493−05 (T₃) 0.63936 42 0.61097 92 1.21 × 10⁻⁴

Events -01 and -05 of ME05493 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 30—Analysis of ME05885 Events

ME05885 contains Ceres Clone:32430 (At1g16170, SEQ ID NO:768) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 92 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME05885 in T₃ generation was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME05885 seedlings is shown in Table 31. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media and low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in T₃ generation at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance.

TABLE 31A T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME05885 ME05885-01 0.6759 12 0.6533 28 4.32 × 10⁻² (T₃) ME05885 ME05885-05 0.6831  7 0.6530 52 3.68 × 10⁻⁶ (T₃)

TABLE 31B T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME05885 ME05885-01 0.6490 13 0.6135 30 3.06 × 10⁻² (T₃) ME05885 ME05885-05 0.6810  9 0.6133 43 6.77 × 10⁻⁵ (T₃)

ME05885 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate and low ammonium nitrate media. A summary of enhanced growth under low nitrate and low ammonium nitrate growth conditions of ME05885 seedlings in T₃ generation is shown in Table 32. Two events, -03 and -05, showed significantly enhanced growth on low nitrate-containing media. Two events, -02 and -05, showed significantly enhanced growth on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. In this study, the seedling area for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line.

TABLE 32A T-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings poand oled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME05885 ME05885-03 0.06245 6 0.05286 14 1.42 × 10⁻² (T₃) ME05885 ME05885-05 0.05893 7 0.04725 12 5.61 × 10⁻³ (T₃)

TABLE 32B T-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME05885 ME05885-02 0.0744 14 0.05595 6 3.28 × 10⁻⁵ (T₃) ME05885 ME05885-05 0.0753  9 0.06179 11 5.08 × 10⁻³ (T₃)

Example 31—Analysis of ME07344 Events

ME07344 contains Ceres Clone:101255 (At2g19810, SEQ ID NO:791) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 359 amino acid CCCH-type zinc finger protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME07344 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Example 4. In this study, the 4^(th) true leaf from each plant was collected on day 38 and analyzed on the CF imager for its Fv/Fm value. Transgenic plants within an event were compared to all non-transgenic plants, including the non-transgenic segregants and external controls. Two events, -02 and -03, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME07344 seedlings is shown in Table 33. Events -02 and -03 segregated 3:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME07344 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 33 T-test comparison of photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic plants and non-transgenic controls after 38 days of growth on nitrogen-depleted soil. Non- Transgenic Transgenic Controls t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME07344 ME07344−02 (T₂) 0.752 17 0.729 50 2.86 × 10⁻⁴ ME07344 ME07344−02 (T₃) 0.750 16 0.729 50 1.11 × 10⁻⁴ ME07344 ME07344−03 (T₂) 0.741 13 0.729 50 0.018 ME07344 ME07344−03 (T₃) 0.754 17 0.729 50 4.62 × 10⁻⁶

Events -02 and -03 of ME07344 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 32—Analysis of ME07859 Events

ME07859 contains Ceres Clone:276809 (SEQ ID NO:823) from Zea mays, which encodes a 135 amino acid sterol desaturase protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME07859 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -02 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME07859 seedlings is shown in Table 34. Events -02 and -04 segregated 1:1 and 2:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME07859 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media as well as for enhanced growth and photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 34 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate media. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME07859 ME07859−02 (T₂) 0.6598 24 0.6378 127 0.03 ME07859 ME07859−02 (T₃) 0.6825 14 0.6378 127 1.3 × 10⁻³ ME07859 ME07859−04 (T₂) 0.6539 33 0.6378 127 0.05 ME07859 ME07859−04 (T₃) 0.6601 17 0.6378 127 0.05

Events -02 and -04 of ME07859 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 33—Analysis of ME08464 Events

ME08464 contains Ceres Clone:424522 (SEQ ID NO:827) from Zea mays, which encodes a 500 amino acid unknown protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME08464 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -02 and -03, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME07859 seedlings is shown in Table 35. Events -02 and -03 segregated 3:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME08464 events were also tested for increased photosynthetic efficiency on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 35 T-test comparison of photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 15 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME08464 ME08464−02 (T₂) 0.65 41 0.62 40 0.015 ME08464 ME08464−02 (T₃) 0.67 32 0.62 40 2.32 × 10⁻⁴ ME08464 ME08464−03 (T₂) 0.65 43 0.62 40 0.013 ME08464 ME08464−03 (T₃) 0.65 42 0.62 40 6.85 × 10⁻³

Events -02 and -03 of ME08464 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 34—Analysis of ME09939 Events

ME09939 contains Ceres Clone:324216 (SEQ ID NO:852) from Zea mays, which encodes a 38 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME09939 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -04 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME09939 seedlings is shown in Table 36. Events -04 and -05 segregated 15:1 and 3:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation. ME09939 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 36 T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME09939 ME09939−04 (T₂) 0.49285 40 0.38571  7 0.05 ME09939 ME09939−04 (T₃) 0.50697 34 0.38571  7 3.50 × 10⁻² ME09939 ME09939−05 (T₂) 0.53487 39 0.47492 24 1.19 × 10⁻² ME09939 ME09939−05 (T₃) 0.55341 32 0.47492 24 1.82 × 10⁻³

Events -04 and -05 of ME09939 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 35—Analysis of ME11735 Events

ME11735 contains Ceres Annot:573161 (At5g43260, SEQ ID NO:854) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 97 amino acid DnaJ-related chaperone protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME11735 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Example 2 and 3. A summary of the enhanced growth of ME11735 events on low nitrate-containing media is shown in Table 37. In this study, the seedling area for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line. Two events, -04 and -05, were found significantly larger than the pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. ME11735 events were also tested for increased photosynthetic efficiency on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed. Events -04 and -05 segregated 40:1 and 4:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

TABLE 37 t-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Transgenic Pooled Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME11735 ME11735−04 (T₂) 0.05820 41 0.04994 127 5.91 × 10⁻⁵ ME11735 ME11735−04 (T₃) 0.05553 42 0.04994 127 1.26 × 10⁻² ME11735 ME11735−05 (T₂) 0.05788 37 0.04994 127 1.59 × 10⁻³ ME11735 ME11735−05 (T₃) 0.06011 13 0.04994 127 1.64 × 10⁻²

Events -04 and -05 of ME11735 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 36—Analysis of ME12910 Events

ME12910 contains Ceres Annot:552727 (At2g22930, SEQ ID NO:890) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 442 amino acid UDP-glucoronosyl and UDP-glucosyl transferase family protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME12910 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -03 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME12910 seedlings is shown in Table 38. ME12910 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 38 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME12910 ME12910−03 (T₂) 0.5851 39 0.5191 29 1.54 × 10⁻³ ME12910 ME12910−03 (T₃) 0.5861 22 0.5191 29 2.17 × 10⁻³ ME12910 ME12910−05 (T₂) 0.5523 44 0.4251  7 1.23 × 10⁻² ME12910 ME12910−05 (T₃) 0.5600 42 0.4251  7 9.62 × 10⁻³

Events -03 and -05 segregated 3:1 and 15:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -03 and -05 of ME12910 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 37—Analysis of ME12927 Events

ME12927 contains Ceres Clone:239806 (SEQ ID NO:916) from Zea mays, which encodes a 201 amino acid lipoprotein amino terminal region. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME12927 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Three events, -02, -03 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05, using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME12927 seedlings is shown in Table 39.

TABLE 39 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME12927 ME12927−02 (T₂) 0.60843 44 0.47813  8 4.88 × 10⁻³ ME12927 ME12927−02 (T₃) 0.60867 36 0.47813  8 5.23 × 10⁻³ ME12927 ME12927−03 (T₂) 0.61906 32 0.57929 38 8.96 × 10⁻³ ME12927 ME12927−03 (T₃) 0.63437 19 0.57929 38 5.35 × 10⁻⁴ ME12927 ME12927−05 (T₂) 0.60581 43 0.53982 22 7.26 × 10⁻³ ME12927 ME12927−05 (T₃) 0.63145 29 0.53982 22 5.83 × 10⁻⁴

ME12927 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. A summary of the enhanced growth of ME11735 events on low ammonium nitrate-containing media is shown in Table 40. In this study, the seedling area for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line. Three events, -02, -03 and -05, were found significantly larger than the pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05, using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance.

TABLE 40 t-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Transgenic Pooled Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME12927 ME12927−02 (T₂) 0.066920 44 0.056585 117 1.65 × 10⁻⁴ ME12927 ME12927−02 (T₃) 0.062119 36 0.056585 117 3.51 × 10⁻² ME12927 ME12927−03 (T₂) 0.068972 32 0.056585 117 1.18 × 10⁻⁵ ME12927 ME12927−03 (T₃) 0.063716 19 0.056585 117 1.98 × 10⁻² ME12927 ME12927−05 (T₂) 0.069972 43 0.056585 117 4.25 × 10⁻⁶ ME12927 ME12927−05 (T₃) 0.064014 29 0.056585 117 8.49 × 10⁻³

Events 02, -03 and -05 segregated 15:1, 2:1 and 15:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events 02, -03 and -05 of ME12927 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill) in T₁ generation.

Example 38—Analysis of ME12929 Events

ME12929 contains Ceres Clone:208995 (SEQ ID NO:943) from Zea mays, which encodes a 94 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME12929 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -03 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME12929 seedlings is shown in Table 41. ME12929 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed. Events -03 and -04 segregated 1:1 and 3:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -03 and -04 of ME12929 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic

TABLE 41 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME12929 ME12929−03 (T₂) 0.6410 33 0.5736 24 9.44 × 10⁻⁴ ME12929 ME12929−03 (T₃) 0.6610 41 0.5736 24 4.38 × 10⁻⁵ ME12929 ME12929−04 (T₂) 0.6544 47 0.5790  9 3.68 × 10⁻² ME12929 ME12929−04 (T₃) 0.6663 43 0.5790  9 2.15 × 10⁻² plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 39—Analysis of ME12954 Events

ME12954 contains Ceres Clone:225681 (SEQ ID NO:975) from Zea mays, which encodes a 286 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME12954 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. Two events, -04 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME12954 seedlings is shown in Table 42.

TABLE 42 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME12954 ME12954−04 (T₂) 0.6236 40 0.5973 152 6.61 × 10⁻³ ME12954 ME12954−04 (T₃) 0.6200 39 0.5973 152 1.97 × 10⁻² ME12954 ME12954−05 (T₂) 0.6280 45 0.5973 152 1.79 × 10⁻² ME12954 ME12954−05 (T₃) 0.6315 35 0.5973 152 2.85 × 10⁻²

ME12954 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. A summary of the enhanced growth of ME12954 events on low ammonium nitrate-containing media is shown in Table 43. In this study, the seedling area for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line. Two events, -02 and -04, were found significantly larger than the pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05, using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance.

TABLE 43 t-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Transgenic Pooled Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME12954 ME12954−02 (T₂) 0.06883 31 0.05579 152 1.86 × 10⁻⁵ ME12954 ME12954−02 (T₃) 0.06604 26 0.05579 152 1.48 × 10⁻³ ME12954 ME12954−04 (T₂) 0.06469 40 0.05579 152 1.95 × 10⁻⁴ ME12954 ME12954−04 (T₃) 0.06301 39 0.05579 152 3.32 × 10⁻³

Events -02, -04 and -05 segregated 2:1, 3:1 and 15:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T2 generation.

Events -02, -04 and -05 of ME12954 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 40—Analysis of ME12970 Events

ME12970 contains Ceres Clone:1387146 (SEQ ID NO:981) from Zea mays, which encodes a 147 amino acid C2 domain-containing protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME12970 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. Two events, -02 and -03, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME12970 seedlings is shown in Table 44. ME12970 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 44 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME12970 ME12970−02 (T₂) 0.55136 44 0.52401 108 3.78 × 10⁻² ME12970 ME12970−02 (T₃) 0.58305 43 0.52401 108 1.89 × 10⁻⁵ ME12970 ME12970−03 (T₂) 0.58759 37 0.52401 108 2.14 × 10⁻⁶ ME12970 ME12970−03 (T₃) 0.59131 29 0.52401 108 3.05 × 10⁻⁶

Events -02 and -03 segregated 15:1 and 3:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T2 generation.

Events -02 and -03 of ME12970 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 41—Analysis of ME13006 Events

ME13006 contains Ceres Clone:1017441 (SEQ ID NO:224) from Triticum aestivum, which encodes a 143 amino acid polypeptide, predicted to be a homolog of Ceres Clone:4898 (ME03123, SEQ ID NO:217). Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13006 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -03, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13006 seedlings is shown in Table 45. ME13006 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 45 t-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME13006 ME13006−01 (T₂) 0.0777 42 0.0648  7 3.29 × 10⁻² ME13006 ME13006−01 (T₃) 0.0660 28 0.0540 19 1.49 × 10⁻³ ME13006 ME13006−03 (T₂) 0.0706 21 0.0601 29 4.83 × 10⁻³ ME13006 ME13006−03 (T₃) 0.0758 14 0.0617 33 2.60 × 10⁻³

Events -01 and -03 segregated 3:1 and 1:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -01 and -03 of ME13006 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 42—Analysis of ME13021 Events

ME13021 contains Ceres Clone:244306 (SEQ ID NO:1053) from Zea mays, which encodes a 572 amino acid TCP-1/cpn60 chaperonin family protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13021 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -04 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13021 seedlings is shown in Table 46. ME13021 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 46 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME13021 ME13021−04 (T₂) 0.56697 39 0.49440 10 2.47 × 10⁻² ME13021 ME13021−04 (T₃) 0.59916 37 0.48685 13 1.54 × 10⁻³ ME13021 ME13021−05 (T₂) 0.60575 32 0.50344 18 6.05 × 10⁻⁴ ME13021 ME13021−05 (T₃) 0.64400 23 0.55638 26 3.86 × 10⁻⁶

Events -04 and -05 segregated 3:1 and 2:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T2 generation.

Events -04 and -05 of ME13021 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill) in T1 generation.

Example 43—Analysis of ME13064 Events

ME13064 contains Ceres Clone:1408950 (SEQ ID NO:1098) from Zea mays, which encodes a 152 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13064 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -03 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13064 seedlings is shown in Table 47. ME13064 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 47 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME13064 ME13064−03 (T₂) 0.59444 27 0.54793 28 5.84 × 10⁻³ ME13064 ME13064−03 (T₃) 0.59676 29 0.54793 28 1.25 × 10⁻² ME13064 ME13064−04 (T₂) 0.58577 31 0.51053 40 2.05 × 10⁻³ ME13064 ME13064−04 (T₃) 0.59128 25 0.51053 40 8.93 × 10⁻⁴

Events -03 and -04 segregated 2:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T2 generation.

Events -03 and -04 of ME13064 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill) in T1 generation.

Example 44—Analysis of ME13071 Events

ME13071 contains Ceres Clone:208453 (SEQ ID NO:1111) from Zea mays, which encodes a 74 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13071 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. Two events, -03 and -05, showed significantly enhanced growth on low nitrate- and low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in T₂ generation at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. In this study, the seedling area for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line. A summary of enhanced growth under low ammonium nitrate growth conditions of ME13071 seedlings is shown in Table 48. ME13071 events were also tested for photosynthetic efficiency on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 48 t-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME13071 ME13071−03 (T₂) 0.06694 26 0.05915 19 3.55 × 10⁻³ ME13071 ME13071−03 (T₃) 0.07787 24 0.07040 22 3.65 × 10⁻² ME13071 ME13071−05 (T₂) 0.06232 32 0.05491 16 2.07 × 10⁻³ ME13071 ME13071−05 (T₃) 0.06335 22 0.05626 28 1.09 × 10⁻²

Events -03 and -05 segregated 1:1 and 2:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T2 generation.

Events -03 and -05 of ME13071 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 45—Analysis of ME13087 Events

ME13087 contains Ceres Clone:968180 (SEQ ID NO:1115) from Brassica napus, which encodes a 159 amino acid zinc finger protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13087 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Four events, -01, -02, -03 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13087 seedlings is shown in Table 49. ME13087 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 49 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME13087 ME13087−01 (T₂) 0.59761 23 0.56163 38 9.61 × 10⁻³ ME13087 ME13087−01 (T₃) 0.61247 15 0.56163 38 5.99 × 10⁻⁴ ME13087 ME13087−02 (T₂) 0.63400 39 0.58532 34 9.30 × 10⁻³ ME13087 ME13087−02 (T₃) 0.63442 26 0.58532 34 1.22 × 10⁻² ME13087 ME13087−03 (T₂) 0.61429 38 0.55533 24 5.04 × 10⁻³ ME13087 ME13087−03 (T₃) 0.62283 35 0.55533 24 3.31 × 10⁻³ ME13087 ME13087−04 (T₂) 0.62714 28 0.60068 56 3.02 × 10⁻² ME13087 ME13087−04 (T₃) 0.64543  7 0.60068 56 9.04 × 10⁻³

Events -01, -02, -03 and -04 segregated 2:1, 3:1, 3:1 and 2:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T2 generation.

Events -01, -02, -03 and -04 of ME13087 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill) in T1 generation.

Example 46—Analysis of ME13106 Events

ME13106 contains Ceres Clone:986438 (SEQ ID NO:1156) from Zea mays, which encodes a 188 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13106 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -03 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13106 seedlings is shown in Table 50. ME13106 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 50 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME13106 ME13106−03 (T₂) 0.62726 27 0.58600 43 1.50 × 10⁻² ME13106 ME13106−03 (T₃) 0.65163 30 0.58600 43 1.69 × 10⁻⁴ ME13106 ME13106−04 (T₂) 0.60836 36 0.55876 25 2.62 × 10⁻² ME13106 ME13106−04 (T₃) 0.64250 38 0.55876 25 5.01 × 10⁻⁴

Events -03 and -04 segregated 1:1 and 3:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -03 and -04 of ME13106 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 47—Analysis of ME13107 Events

ME13107 contains Ceres Clone:996227 (SEQ ID NO:1158) from Zea mays, which encodes a 240 amino acid zein seed storage protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13107 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Three events, -02, -04 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13107 seedlings is shown in Table 51.

TABLE 51 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Non- Transgenic Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME13107 ME13107−02 (T₂) 0.63122 37 0.56643 21 1.07 × 10⁻² ME13107 ME13107−02 (T₃) 0.63848 29 0.56643 21 6.03 × 10⁻³ ME13107 ME13107−04 (T₂) 0.62948 27 0.55918 50 2.07 × 10⁻⁵ ME13107 ME13107−04 (T₃) 0.63019 21 0.55918 50 6.72 × 10⁻⁵ ME13107 ME13107−05 (T₂) 0.61952 29 0.54440 48 7.85 × 10⁻⁵ ME13107 ME13107−05 (T₃) 0.62185 20 0.54440 48 4.02 × 10⁻⁵

ME13107 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. Two events, -02 and -04, showed significantly enhanced growth on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in T₂ generation at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. In this study, the seedling area for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line. A summary of enhanced growth under low ammonium nitrate growth conditions of ME13071 seedlings is shown in Table 52.

TABLE 2 t-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Transgenic Pooled Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME13107 ME13107−02 (T₂) 0.07738 37 0.06919 203 3.63 × 10⁻² ME13107 ME13107−02 (T₃) 0.07688 29 0.06919 203 4.60 × 10⁻² ME13107 ME13107−04 (T₂) 0.07514 27 0.06919 203 3.18 × 10⁻² ME13107 ME13107−04 (T₃) 0.07585 21 0.06919 203 2.27 × 10⁻²

Events -02, -04 and -05 segregated 3:1, 1:1 and 2:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -02, -04 and -05 of ME13107 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 48—Analysis of ME13108 Events

ME13108 contains Ceres Clone:996263 (SEQ ID NO:1165) from Zea mays, which encodes an 84 amino acid BRICK1 protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13108 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Three events, -01, -04 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13108 seedlings is shown in Table 53. ME13108 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 53 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME13108 ME13108-01 (T₂) 0.56703 36 0.53932 195 1.97 × 10⁻² ME13108 ME13108-01 (T₃) 0.59250 26 0.53932 195 3.64 × 10⁻⁴ ME13108 ME13108-04 (T₂) 0.60032 37 0.53932 195 3.37 × 10⁻⁷ ME13108 ME13108-04 (T₃) 0.60463 30 0.53932 195 4.10 × 10⁻⁵ ME13108 ME13108-05 (T₂) 0.60727 30 0.53932 195 4.97 × 10⁻⁹ ME13108 ME13108-05 (T₃) 0.61850 32 0.53932 195 2.35 × 10⁻⁹

Events -01, -04 and -05 segregated 3:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -01, -04 and -05 of ME13108 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 49—Analysis of ME13110 Events

ME13110 contains Ceres Clone:988083 (SEQ ID NO:1184) from Zea mays, which encodes a 188 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13110 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Three events, -03, -04 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13110 seedlings is shown in Table 54. ME13110 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 54 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME13110 ME13110-03 (T₂) 0.5721 34 0.3948 16 8.92 × 10⁻³ ME13110 ME13110-03 (T₃) 0.5773 24 0.4583 26 4.58 × 10⁻⁴ ME13110 ME13110-04 (T₂) 0.5651 35 0.4243 15 4.34 × 10⁻² ME13110 ME13110-04 (T₃) 0.6000 10 0.4594 40 3.29 × 10⁻³ ME13110 ME13110-05 (T₂) 0.5143 28 0.3809 22 2.24 × 10⁻² ME13110 ME13110-05 (T₃) 0.5278 28 0.3688 21 1.28 × 10⁻²

Events -03, -04 and -05 segregated 3:1, 1:1 and 3:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -03, -04 and -05 of ME13110 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 50—Analysis of ME13125 Events

ME13125 contains Ceres Clone:732 (At3g50880, SEQ ID NO:1193) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 188 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13125 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Three events, -01, -03 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13125 seedlings is shown in Table 55. ME13125 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 55 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME13125 ME13125-01 (T₂) 0.61129 42 0.53829 125 4.82 × 10⁻⁷ ME13125 ME13125-01 (T₃) 0.61929 38 0.53829 125 1.96 × 10⁻⁷ ME13125 ME13125-03 (T₂) 0.63360 45 0.53829 125 3.05 × 10⁻¹³ ME13125 ME13125-03 (T₃) 0.62218 44 0.53829 125 3.81 × 10⁻⁹ ME13125 ME13125-05 (T₂) 0.61565 31 0.53829 125 4.12 × 10⁻⁸ ME13125 ME13125-05 (T₃) 0.58469 16 0.53829 125 0.05

Events -01, -03 and -05 segregated 3:1, 15:1 and 2:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -01, -03 and -05 of ME13125 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 51—Analysis of ME13149 Events

ME13149 contains Ceres Clone:2267 (At2g24765, SEQ ID NO:1209) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 182 amino acid ADP-ribosylation factor 3 protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13149 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -02 and -03, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13149 seedlings is shown in Table 56. ME13149 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 56 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME13149 ME13149-02 (T₂) 0.55623 30 0.51138 55 2.29 × 10⁻² ME13149 ME13149-02 (T₃) 0.54818 17 0.51138 55 4.56 × 10⁻² ME13149 ME13149-03 (T₂) 0.55998 42 0.51138 55 5.11 × 10⁻³ ME13149 ME13149-03 (T₃) 0.58450 24 0.51138 55 2.77 × 10⁻⁴

Events -02 and -03 segregated 2:1 and 15:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -02 and -03 of ME13149 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 52—Analysis of ME13151 Events

ME13151 contains Ceres Clone:39358 (At3g25150, SEQ ID NO:1273) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 488 amino acid nuclear transport factor 2 (NTF2) domain protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13151 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -02, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13151 seedlings is shown in Table 57. ME13151 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 57 T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME13151 ME13151-01 (T₂) 0.62593 44 0.53141 17 8.58 × 10⁻⁴ ME13151 ME13151-01 (T₃) 0.59936 33 0.53141 17 1.21 × 10⁻² ME13151 ME13151-02 (T₂) 0.59879 39 0.46956 16 3.08 × 10⁻⁵ ME13151 ME13151-02 (T₃) 0.59566 32 0.46956 16 4.28 × 10⁻⁵

Events -01 and -02 segregated 9:1 and 6:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T2 generation.

Events -01 and -02 of ME13151 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 53—Analysis of ME13153 Events

ME13153 contains Ceres Clone:115046 (At3g17760, SEQ ID NO:1301) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 494 amino acid glutamate decarboxylase. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13153 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -03 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13153 seedlings is shown in Table 58. ME13153 events were also tested for increased photosynthetic efficiency on the low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 58 T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Transgenic Pooled Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME13153 ME13153-03 (T₂) 0.62 34 0.56 16 3.0 × 10⁻² ME13153 ME13153-03 (T₃) 0.60 19 0.54 22 2.9 × 10⁻² ME13153 ME13153-04 (T₂) 0.57 32 0.50 18 4.3 × 10⁻² ME13153 ME13153-04 (T₃) 0.61 24 0.55 24 2.1 × 10⁻²

Events -03 and -04 segregated 3:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -03 and -04 of ME13153 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting. Events -03 and -04 yielded slightly less seed per plant compared to the controls, but these differences are not significant at p≦0.10.

Example 54—Analysis of ME13177 Events

ME13177 contains Ceres Clone:339439 (SEQ ID NO:1341) from Zea mays, which encodes a 345 amino acid cyclin C-terminal domain protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13177 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -02, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13177 seedlings is shown in Table 59. ME13177 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 59 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME13177 ME13177-01 (T₂) 0.6315 32 0.6112 175 2.43 × 10⁻² ME13177 ME13177-01 (T₃) 0.6407 29 0.6112 175 7.33 × 10⁻³ ME13177 ME13177-02 (T₂) 0.6400 41 0.6112 175 1.23 × 10⁻³ ME13177 ME13177-02 (T₃) 0.6499 20 0.6112 175 6.47 × 10⁻³

Events -01 and -02 segregated 2:1 and 3:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -01 and -02 of ME13177 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 55—Analysis of ME13200 Events

ME13200 contains Ceres Clone:896483 (SEQ ID NO:1384) from Zea mays, which encodes an 85 amino acid myb family transcription factor. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13200 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. A summary of the enhanced growth of ME13200 events on low ammonium nitrate-containing media is shown in Table 60. In this study, the seedling area for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line. Two events, -03 and -04, were found significantly larger than the pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. ME13200 events were also tested for increased photosynthetic efficiency on the low ammonium nitrate media as well as for enhanced photosynthesis and growth on low nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 60 t-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non- transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Transgenic Pooled Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME13200 ME13200-03 (T₂) 0.07366 43 0.06342 35 4.09 × 10⁻⁴ ME13200 ME13200-03 (T₃) 0.08193 34 0.06342 35 2.37 × 10⁻⁵ ME13200 ME13200-04 (T₂) 0.07377 48 0.06342 35 4.87 × 10⁻⁴ ME13200 ME13200-04 (T₃) 0.07530 47 0.06342 35 1.88 × 10⁻⁴

Events -03 and -04 segregated 3:1 and 15:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -03 and -04 of ME13200 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 56—Analysis of ME13204 Events

ME13204 contains Ceres Clone:995409 (SEQ ID NO:1408) from Zea mays, which encodes a 178 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME13204 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME13204 seedlings is shown in Table 61. ME13204 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media as well as for enhanced growth and photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 61 T-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate media. Transgenic Pooled Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME13204 ME13204-01 (T₂) 0.5874 45 0.5354 46 1.41 × 10⁻² ME13204 ME13204-01 (T₃) 0.5932 36 0.5354 46 9.85 × 10⁻³ ME13204 ME13204-05 (T₂) 0.5855 34 0.5354 46 2.00 × 10⁻² ME13204 ME13204-05 (T₃) 0.5998 20 0.5354 46 5.58 × 10⁻³

Events -01 and -05 segregated 9:1 and 3:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -01 and -05 of ME13204 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 57—Analysis of ME14649 Events

ME14649 contains Ceres Annot:850581 (At5g01880, SEQ ID NO:1427) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 159 amino acid zinc finger protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME14649 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -02 and -03, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME14649 seedlings is shown in Table 62. ME14649 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 62 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME14649 ME14649-02 (T₂) 0.59789 35 0.54533 30 1.54 × 10⁻⁴ ME14649 ME14649-02 (T₃) 0.58154 26 0.54533 30 3.42 × 10⁻² ME14649 ME14649-03 (T₂) 0.61875 28 0.56539 33 2.03 × 10⁻³ ME14649 ME14649-03 (T₃) 0.62630 27 0.56539 33 9.18 × 10⁻⁴

Events -02 and -03 segregated 3:1 and 2:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -02 and -03 of ME14649 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill) in T1 generation.

Example 58—Analysis of ME16546 Events

ME16546 contains Ceres Annot:862321 (At2g45360, SEQ ID NO:1462) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 215 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME16546 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -04 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME16546 seedlings is shown in Table 63. ME16546 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 63 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME16546 ME16546-04 (T₂) 0.59891 33 0.56124 130 2.21 × 10⁻⁴ ME16546 ME16546-04 (T₃) 0.57924 41 0.56124 130 3.77 × 10⁻² ME16546 ME16546-05 (T₂) 0.58861 36 0.56124 130 7.17 × 10⁻³ ME16546 ME16546-05 (T₃) 0.61763 27 0.56124 130 3.25 × 10⁻⁶

Events -04 and -05 segregated 2:1 and 3:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -04 and -05 of ME16546 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 59—Analysis of ME17457 Events

ME17457 contains Ceres Annot:839064 (At1g80600, SEQ ID NO:1478) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 457 acetylornithine aminotransferase, a member of the Class-III aminotransferase family. This is a homolog of Ceres Clone:19586 (ME01463, SEQ ID NO:76). Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME17457 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Four events, -02, -03, -05 and -06, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME17457 seedlings is shown in Table 64. ME17457 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 64 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME17457 ME17457-02 (T₂) 0.60800 21 0.50878 46 6.99 × 10⁻⁴ ME17457 ME17457-02 (T₃) 0.59539 18 0.50878 46 9.02 × 10⁻³ ME17457 ME17457-03 (T₂) 0.55164 11 0.49673 45 3.45 × 10⁻² ME17457 ME17457-03 (T₃) 0.57356 18 0.49673 45 2.49 × 10⁻³ ME17457 ME17457-05 (T₂) 0.52928 18 0.42672 32 2.23 × 10⁻³ ME17457 ME17457-05 (T₃) 0.56660 25 0.42672 32 5.97 × 10⁻⁵ ME17457 ME17457-06 (T₂) 0.54088 33 0.47350 30 3.59 × 10⁻⁴ ME17457 ME17457-06 (T₃) 0.52210 21 0.47350 30 2.03 × 10⁻²

Events -02, -03 and -05 segregated 1:1, and Event -06 segregated 3:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -02, -03, -05 and -06 of ME17457 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 60—Analysis of ME17567 Events

ME17567 contains Ceres Annot:864666 (At1g16320, SEQ ID NO:1490) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 273 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME17567 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME17567 seedlings is shown in Table 65. ME17567 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media as well as enhanced photosynthetic efficiency and growth on low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 65 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Transgenic Pooled Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME17567 ME17567-01 (T₂) 0.605455 33 0.474791 67 9.69 × 10⁻¹⁰ ME17567 ME17567-01 (T₃) 0.6244 20 0.474791 67 6.79 × 10⁻¹³ ME17567 ME17567-04 (T₂) 0.57727 37 0.474791 67 1.22 × 10⁻⁷ ME17567 ME17567-04 (T₃) 0.615143 35 0.474791 67 5.95 × 10⁻¹³

Events -01 and -04 segregated 2:1 and 3:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -01 and -04 of ME17567 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 61—Analysis of ME17932 Events

ME17932 contains Ceres Annot:875012 (At3g53560, SEQ ID NO:1509) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 340 amino acid chloroplast lumen common family protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME17932 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Four events, -01, -02, -03 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME17932 seedlings is shown in Table 66. ME17932 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 66 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME17932 ME17932-01 (T₂) 0.6292 36 0.6094 194 0.050 ME17932 ME17932-01 (T₃) 0.6640 22 0.6094 194 2.82 × 10⁻⁶ ME17932 ME17932-02 (T₂) 0.6351 32 0.6094 194 1.05 × 10⁻² ME17932 ME17932-02 (T₃) 0.6373 20 0.6094 194 2.82 × 10⁻² ME17932 ME17932-03 (T₂) 0.6504 45 0.6094 194 1.80 × 10⁻⁵ ME17932 ME17932-03 (T₃) 0.6708 20 0.6094 194 8.38 × 10⁻⁴ ME17932 ME17932-05 (T₂) 0.6349 24 0.6094 194 3.23 × 10⁻² ME17932 ME17932-05 (T₃) 0.6615 11 0.6094 194 1.16 × 10⁻³

Events -01, -02, -03 and -05 segregated 3:1, 2:1, 15:1 and 1:1 respectively (R: S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -01, -02, -03 and -05 of ME17932 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 62—Analysis of ME17936 Events

ME17936 contains Ceres Annot:874016 (At3g42800, SEQ ID NO:1524) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 341 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME17936 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME17936 seedlings is shown in Table 67. ME17936 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media as well as for increased photosynthetic efficiency and enhanced growth on low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 67 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate media. Transgenic Pooled Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME17936 ME17936-01 (T₂) 0.64778 36 0.61762 39 4.68 × 10⁻³ ME17936 ME17936-01 (T₃) 0.66081 21 0.61762 39 4.33 × 10⁻⁵ ME17936 ME17936-05 (T₂) 0.63189 35 0.61444 50 2.73 × 10⁻² ME17936 ME17936-05 (T₃) 0.64257 14 0.61444 50 2.56 × 10⁻²

Events -01 and -05 segregated 3:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -01 and -05 of ME17936 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 63—Analysis of ME18275 Events

ME18275 contains Ceres Annot:827304 (At2g18300, SEQ ID NO:1536) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 335 amino acid helix-loop-helix DNA-binding domain. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME18275 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. A summary of the enhanced growth of ME18275 events on low nitrate-containing media is shown in Table 68. In this study, the seedling area for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line. Three events, -01, -02 and -03, were found significantly larger than the pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05, using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. ME18275 events were also tested for photosynthetic efficiency on the low nitrate media as well as for increased photosynthetic efficiency and enhanced growth on low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 68 t-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME18275 ME18275-01 0.09574 40 0.05961 10 3.24 × 10⁻¹⁰ (T₂) ME18275 ME18275-01 0.07807 32 0.05142 15 3.71 × 10⁻⁴  (T₃) ME18275 ME18275-02 0.11903 33 0.05884 16 6.21 × 10⁻¹⁴ (T₂) ME18275 ME18275-02 0.08552 22 0.04208 24 2.82 × 10⁻⁵  (T₃) ME18275 ME18275-03 0.10281 39 0.06789  9 9.48 × 10⁻⁸  (T₂) ME18275 ME18275-03 0.09136 20 0.05646 26 9.46 × 10⁻⁴  (T₃)

Events -01, -02 and -03 segregated 3:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -01, -02 and -03 of ME18275 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 64—Analysis of ME18924 Events

ME18924 contains Ceres Annot:869192 (At1g72160, SEQ ID NO:1553) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 490 amino acid emp24/gp25L/p24 family protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME18924 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME18924 seedlings is shown in Table 69. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Three events, -02, -04 and -05, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05, using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance.

TABLE 69 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME18924 ME18924-02 0.6515 46 0.6223 138 6.43 × 10⁻³ (T₂) ME18924 ME18924-02 0.6639 45 0.6223 138 1.52 × 10⁻⁴ (T₃) ME18924 ME18924-04 0.6489 33 0.6223 138 2.72 × 10⁻³ (T₂) ME18924 ME18924-04 0.6517 21 0.6223 138 1.58 × 10⁻² (T₃) ME18924 ME18924-05 0.6602 35 0.6223 138 5.55 × 10⁻⁵ (T₂) ME18924 ME18924-05 0.6488 31 0.6223 138 4.25 × 10⁻² (T₃)

ME18924 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. A summary of the enhanced growth of ME18924 events on low nitrate-containing media is shown in Table 70. In this study, the seedling area for transgenic plants within an event was compared to the seedling area for non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same line. Two events, -01 and -04, were found significantly larger than the pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05, using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance.

TABLE 70 t-test comparison of seedling area between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Area n Area n p-value ME18924 ME18924-01 0.06881 37 0.06311 138 1.31 × 10⁻² (T₂) ME18924 ME18924-01 0.07164 34 0.06311 138 7.43 × 10⁻³ (T₃) ME18924 ME18924-04 0.08401 33 0.06311 138 5.64 × 10⁻⁸ (T₂) ME18924 ME18924-04 0.07365 21 0.06311 138 3.82 × 10⁻² (T₃)

Events -01, -02, -04 and -05 segregated 3:1, 15:1, 2:1 and 2:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -01, -02, -04 and -05 of ME18924 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 65—Analysis of ME19182 Events

ME19182 contains Ceres Annot:876419 (At4g01480, SEQ ID NO:1576) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 216 amino acid inorganic pyrophosphatase protein. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME19182 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -01 and -03, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low ammonium nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME19182 seedlings is shown in Table 71. ME19182 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 71 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 18 days of growth on low ammonium nitrate. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME19182 ME19182-01 0.64938 24 0.61988 154 2.47 × 10⁻² (T₂) ME19182 ME19182-01 0.65546 13 0.61988 154 1.08 × 10⁻² (T₃) ME19182 ME19182-03 0.64797 37 0.61988 154  3.8 × 10⁻³ (T₂) ME19182 ME19182-03 0.65388 26 0.61988 154 3.15 × 10⁻³ (T₃)

Events -01 and -03 segregated 2:1 and 3:1 respectively (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T2 generation.

Events -01 and -03 of ME19182 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 66—Analysis of ME20628 Events

ME20628 contains Ceres Annot:859276 (At2g21230, SEQ ID NO:175) from Arabidopsis thaliana, which encodes a 188 amino acid protein of unknown function. Evaluation of low-nitrogen tolerance for ME20628 in T₂ and T₃ was conducted under the same conditions as described in Examples 2 and 3. In this study, the seedling photosynthetic efficiency was measured as Fv/Fm comparing transgenic plants within an event to non-transgenic segregants pooled across the same plate. Two events, -03 and -04, showed significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency on low nitrate-containing media relative to the internal controls in both generations at p≦0.05 using a one-tailed t-test assuming unequal variance. A summary of photosynthetic efficiency of ME20628 seedlings is shown in Table 72. ME20628 events were also tested for enhanced growth on the low nitrate media as well as for increased photosynthetic efficiency and enhanced growth on low ammonium nitrate media. No significant differences between the transgenics and the controls were observed.

TABLE 72 t-test comparison of seedling photosynthetic efficiency between transgenic seedlings and pooled non-transgenic segregants after 14 days of growth on low nitrate media. Pooled Transgenic Non-Transgenics t-test Line Events Fv/Fm n Fv/Fm n p-value ME20628 ME20628-03 0.62771 42 0.58957  7 9.94 × 10⁻³ (T₂) ME20628 ME20628-03 0.64375 20 0.61914 28 2.97 × 10⁻² (T₃) ME20628 ME20628-04 0.62439 38 0.59667 12 4.78 × 10⁻² (T₂) ME20628 ME20628-04 0.64768 22 0.61360 25 9.93 × 10⁻⁴ (T₃)

Events -03 and -04 segregated 3:1 (R:S) for FINALE™ resistance in the T₂ generation.

Events -03 and -04 of ME20628 exhibited no statistically relevant negative phenotypes. That is, there was no detectable reduction in germination rate, the transgenic plants appeared wild type in all instances; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in days to flowering; there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in the size of the rosette area 7 days post-bolting; and there was no observable or statistical differences between transgenics and controls in fertility (silique number and seed fill).

Example 67—Determination of Functional Homologs by Reciprocal BLAST

A candidate sequence was considered a functional homolog of a reference sequence if the candidate and reference sequences encoded proteins having a similar function and/or activity. A process known as Reciprocal BLAST (Rivera et al. (1998) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 95:6239-6244) was used to identify potential functional homolog sequences from databases consisting of all available public and proprietary peptide sequences, including NR from NCBI and peptide translations from Ceres clones.

Before starting a Reciprocal BLAST process, a specific reference polypeptide was searched against all peptides from its source species using BLAST in order to identify polypeptides having BLAST sequence identity of 80% or greater to the reference polypeptide and an alignment length of 85% or greater along the shorter sequence in the alignment. The reference polypeptide and any of the aforementioned identified polypeptides were designated as a cluster.

The BLASTP version 2.0 program from Washington University at Saint Louis, Mo., USA was used to determine BLAST sequence identity and E-value. The BLASTP version 2.0 program includes the following parameters: 1) an E-value cutoff of 1.0e-5; 2) a word size of 5; and 3) the -postsw option. The BLAST sequence identity was calculated based on the alignment of the first BLAST HSP (High-scoring Segment Pairs) of the identified potential functional homolog sequence with a specific reference polypeptide. The number of identically matched residues in the BLAST HSP alignment was divided by the HSP length, and then multiplied by 100 to get the BLAST sequence identity. The HSP length typically included gaps in the alignment, but in some cases gaps were excluded.

The main Reciprocal BLAST process consists of two rounds of BLAST searches; forward search and reverse search. In the forward search step, a reference polypeptide sequence, “polypeptide A,” from source species SA was BLASTed against all protein sequences from a species of interest. Top hits were determined using an E-value cutoff of 10⁻⁵ and a sequence identity cutoff of 35%. Among the top hits, the sequence having the lowest E-value was designated as the best hit, and considered a potential functional homolog or ortholog. Any other top hit that had a sequence identity of 80% or greater to the best hit or to the original reference polypeptide was considered a potential functional homolog or ortholog as well. This process was repeated for all species of interest.

In the reverse search round, the top hits identified in the forward search from all species were BLASTed against all protein sequences from the source species SA. A top hit from the forward search that returned a polypeptide from the aforementioned cluster as its best hit was also considered as a potential functional homolog.

Functional homologs were identified by manual inspection of potential functional homolog sequences. Representative functional homologs for SEQ ID NO:3, SEQ ID NO:49, SEQ ID NO:77, SEQ ID NO:100, SEQ ID NO:152, SEQ ID NO:166, SEQ ID NO:186, SEQ ID NO:208, SEQ ID NO:218, SEQ ID NO:234, SEQ ID NO:246, SEQ ID NO:300, SEQ ID NO:332, SEQ ID NO:368, SEQ ID NO:510, SEQ ID NO:533, SEQ ID NO:558, SEQ ID NO:593, SEQ ID NO:613, SEQ ID NO:646, SEQ ID NO:687, SEQ ID NO:730, SEQ ID NO:746, SEQ ID NO:769, SEQ ID NO:792, SEQ ID NO:824, SEQ ID NO:828, SEQ ID NO:855, SEQ ID NO:891, SEQ ID NO:917, SEQ ID NO:944, SEQ ID NO:976, SEQ ID NO:982, SEQ ID NO:1054, SEQ ID NO:1099, SEQ ID NO:1112, SEQ ID NO:1116, SEQ ID NO:1159, SEQ ID NO:1166, SEQ ID NO:1185, SEQ ID NO:1194, SEQ ID NO:1210, SEQ ID NO:1274, SEQ ID NO:1302, SEQ ID NO:1342, SEQ ID NO:1385, SEQ ID NO:1409, SEQ ID NO:1428, SEQ ID NO:1463, SEQ ID NO:1491, SEQ ID NO:1510, SEQ ID NO:1525, SEQ ID NO:1537, SEQ ID NO:1554, SEQ ID NO:1577, and SEQ ID NO:1437 are shown in FIGS. 1-57, respectively. Additional exemplary homologs are correlated to certain Figures in the Sequence Listing.

Example 68—Determination of Functional Homologs by Hidden Markov Models

Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) were generated by the program HMMER 2.3.2. To generate each HMM, the default HMMER 2.3.2 program parameters, configured for global alignments, were used.

An HMM was generated using the sequences shown in FIG. 1 as input. These sequences were fitted to the model and a representative HMM bit score for each sequence is shown in the Sequence Listing. Additional sequences were fitted to the model, and representative HMM bit scores for any such additional sequences are shown in the Sequence Listing. The results indicate that these additional sequences are functional homologs of SEQ ID NO:3.

The procedure above was repeated and an HMM was generated for each group of sequences shown in FIGS. 2-57, using the sequences shown in each Figure as input for that HMM. A representative bit score for each sequence is shown in the Sequence Listing. Additional sequences were fitted to certain HMMs, and representative HMM bit scores for such additional sequences are shown in the Sequence Listing. The results indicate that these additional sequences are functional homologs of the sequences used to generate that HMM.

VIII. OTHER EMBODIMENTS

It is to be understood that while the invention has been described in conjunction with the detailed description thereof, the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications are within the scope of the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of producing a plant, said method comprising (a) growing a plant cell comprising an exogenous nucleic acid, said exogenous nucleic acid comprising a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence, said nucleotide sequence having 95 percent or greater sequence identity to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1184, or wherein the nucleotide sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1186, and SEQ ID NO:1188, or wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having 90 percent or greater sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1185, or wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having 95% or greater sequence identity to the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1187, SEQ ID NO:1189, and SEQ ID NO:1191, or wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1190; (b) growing a plant from said plant cell; and (c) selecting the plant that has an increased level of low-nitrogen tolerance as compared to the corresponding level of low nitrogen tolerance of a control plant that does not comprise said nucleic acid.
 2. The method of producing a plant according to claim 1, wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having 95 percent or greater sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1185.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide that comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1185, SEQ ID NO:1187, SEQ ID NO:1189, SEQ ID NO:1190, or SEQ ID NO:1191.
 4. The method of producing a plant according to claim 1, wherein said nucleotide sequence comprises a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1184, SEQ ID NO:1186, and SEQ ID NO:1188.
 5. A method of increasing the level of low-nitrogen tolerance in a plant, said method comprising (a) introducing into a plant cell an exogenous nucleic acid, said exogenous nucleic acid comprising a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence, said nucleotide sequence having 95 percent or greater sequence identity to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1184, or wherein the nucleotide sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1186, and SEQ ID NO:1188; or wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having 90 percent or greater sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1185, or wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having 95% or greater sequence identity to the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1187, SEQ ID NO:1189, and SEQ ID NO:1191, or wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1190; (b) growing a plant from said plant cell; and (c) selecting the plant that has an increased level of low-nitrogen tolerance as compared to the corresponding level of low-nitrogen tolerance of a control plant that does not comprise said nucleic acid.
 6. The method of increasing the level of low-nitrogen tolerance in a plant according to claim 5, wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having 95 percent or greater sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1185.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide that comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1185, SEQ ID NO:1187, SEQ ID NO:1189, SEQ ID NO:1190, or SEQ ID NO:1191.
 8. The method of increasing the level of low-nitrogen tolerance in a plant according to claim 5, wherein said nucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1184, SEQ ID NO:1186, and SEQ ID NO:1188.
 9. A plant cell comprising an exogenous nucleic acid, said exogenous nucleic acid comprising a regulatory region operably linked to a nucleotide sequence, said nucleotide sequence having 95 percent or greater sequence identity to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:1184, or wherein the nucleotide sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1186, and SEQ ID NO:1188, or wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having 90 percent or greater sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1185, or wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having 95% or greater sequence identity to the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1187, SEQ ID NO:1189, and SEQ ID NO:1191, or wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1190; wherein a plant produced from said plant cell has an increase in the level of low-nitrogen tolerance as compared to the corresponding level of low-nitrogen tolerance of a control plant that does not comprise said nucleic acid.
 10. The plant cell according to claim 9, wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide having 95 percent or greater sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1185.
 11. The plant cell according to claim 9, wherein said nucleotide sequence comprises a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1184, SEQ ID NO:1186, and SEQ ID NO:1188.
 12. A transgenic plant comprising the plant cell of claim 9, wherein the transgenic plant has an increased level of low-nitrogen tolerance as compared to the corresponding level of low-nitrogen tolerance of a control plant that does not comprise said nucleic acid.
 13. The transgenic plant of claim 12, wherein said plant is a member of a species selected from the group consisting of Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), Sorghum bicolor (sorghum, sudangrass), Miscanthus giganteus (miscanthus), Saccharum sp. (energycane), Populus balsamifera (poplar), Zea mays (corn), Glycine max (soybean), Brassica napus (canola), Triticum aestivum (wheat), Gossypium hirsutum (cotton), Oryza sativa (rice), Helianthus annuus (sunflower), Medicago sativa (alfalfa), Beta vulgaris (sugarbeet), and Pennisetum glaucum (pearl millet).
 14. A transgenic plant of claim 12, wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a polypeptide that comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1185, SEQ ID NO:1187, SEQ ID NO:1189, SEQ ID NO:1190, or SEQ ID NO:1191.
 15. A product comprising plant tissue from a transgenic plant according to claim
 12. 